Running at Full Tilt
by bluebunny28
Summary: Loosely based on the movie: Predator. The Avengers (including Thor) find themselves transported to an alien planet, that not even their resident Asgardian has heard of. They run into Loki while there, but there is no time for evil schemes or saving the day. Not when they are all being hunted, by something they can't even see.
1. Chapter 1

Running at Full Tilt: Prologue

Welcome to my new Avengers fic! This is the promised Predator movie inspired story. :) I've been working on it for a while, so I would have a bit of it done, before I started posting. And here it is! This is only a little taste.

I try to update as regularly as I can, typically on Saturdays, however, I am in college, so I can't promise that I will update every week like I used to. Sorry, but education comes first :/

Anyway, here we go. This is, as usual, Loki centric, though I tried to change him up a bit from my normal portrayal. A bit angrier and darker, than I usually write him as.

Keep in mind it is LOOSELY based on the movie Predator, so I'm not labeling it a crossover. I have not actually seen the movie, but I liked the concept, and thought, hmmm...wonder what would happen if you threw the Avengers on a planet to be hunted? This is the result.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.

Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.

**Sudden Shift**

The Avengers had been called out to another army of evil robots planning to take over the world when it happened. They were getting down to the last few, and all of them were exhausted.

"Ok, even evil villains have to sleep some time, right? This is our eighth call this week. You'd think they would get..I don't know, tired or bored." They heard Hulk roar a couple blocks over, and Tony took it as agreement. "I know, right?!" He shook his head and shot a beam straight through his last robot's chest plate. "Alright. I'm done. That's it for me." Steve, beside him, grunted in agreement.

"That sounds great, but-" Tony waved his arms about.

"No! No, no, no. Fury can take care of that this time. I am not dealing with any more robot parts." He looks over and picks up a severed robot arm with torn wires sticking out of the socket. "Except this. I'm keeping this, no matter what he says." Tony tucked it under his arm, and prepared to fly off in the direction of the tower, when Clint crackled over the ear buds.

"Uh, guys? You might want to come take a look at this." Tony huffed and puffed, but did follow his teammates to where Clint was waiting for them. They were soon all gathered around a very large…circle of burnt runes…on the edge of New York City. Hulk sniffed the air and growled. Natasha turned to Thor.

"Do you recognize this?" The Asgardian prince was staring at the markings intently, but shook his head.

"These are not unlike the markings left behind by the Bifrost, but they…are not that. I have never seen anything like this before." Tony sighed.

"Ok. Jarvis scan the mystery markings on the ground."

"_Already done, Sir. I cannot find any match for the symbols, though they do appear similar to ancient texts describing ancient civilizations and demons from the sky."_ They all turned to Thor, eyebrows raised in question.

"I do _not_ know of these markings. These symbols are unlike any language of the nine realms. Though.." Thor's brow furrowed, and the others waited for him to share his thoughts. Tony groaned when he recognized the look on the Thunderer's face.

"Do _not_ tell me this has to do with that crazy brother of yours, Thor, I swear-" Thor shrugged helplessly.

"They might seem slightly familiar to me, because of my brother. He was always reading books in strange tongues that I did not recognize. Perhaps, he would know." That sparked a whole argument about involving the psycho Norse god who had tried to take over the world six months ago, and it had not been the first. Whenever something possibly magical or strange came up, Thor suggested talking to Loki, which set Clint off, which put Natasha and Bruce on edge (for different reasons of course). Then Tony would make some stupid comment, that Steve would lay into him about, so _they_ would start going at it. That would go on for about thirty minutes, before one of them stormed off, usually Thor before he slammed something, and Steve would call a time out. Beyond that, they got along for the most part.

A major problem of these fights, was that during them, the Avengers tended to not pay attention to anything else. So, there, beside the mystery burnt, possibly ancient alien demon, crop circle the Avengers fought amongst themselves, and didn't notice the way the runes were starting to glow and smoke. In fact, they didn't notice, until the Hulk started to roar at the now burning ground, but by then…it was too late.

* * *

He was running as fast as he could with a shattered ankle and one eye. The sun had set a few hours ago, and he had gotten so caught up in his search for food, that he hadn't found proper shelter yet. The planet he was on was lethal around every corner, but somehow still managed to be worse at night.

The dark had crept up on him, and now he was paying the price for his inattentiveness. However, lately he had been slipping into strange moods. He could not tell you how long he had been on the planet. He had lost track after the first four weeks. After that, he hadn't seen much point in keeping a calendar. Constantly being hunted changed you after a while, to the point where anything besides eating, minimal sleep, and living through a day were cast aside as non-essential. He had been hunted the moment he was transported to- wherever in the damned nine realms he was. At that point, though, none of it mattered. He didn't care. He had survived for so long now, but he was so tired. Each new daybreak brought with it the constant, heart wrenching pain of hope, that 'maybe today' he'll escape, he'll win the cat and mouse game he had been thrust into. And by the time the third sun made it into the sky, he had lost all hope once more. So, when he wasn't drowning in despair and dark, dark, thoughts of perhaps…not caring about even the 'essentials', he was angry, bitter. He used that as fuel to push through day by day, though as they had that afternoon, his dark moods sometimes made him lose valuable time, locking him in a deep, deep hole in his head.

After the first few weeks, when he had watched his company on the planet slowly dwindle until it was only him and _it_, things had been pretty static. There was just him and _it,_ doing their daily routine of hunting and pursuing. However, he could feel something on the air. A tinge of magic or some alien energy (everything about this place sung foreign and extinct) salted the ever so slight breeze. He did not know what _it_ was doing, but he knew that hint was for him. He had tasted the same stench when he had first arrived, and each time a singular prey had arrived following him. _It_ was letting him know that he had a small break from the constant running….and that he wasn't going to be alone for long. Well, he knew where the lurking predator liked to have its prey delivered. He could stake it out, set a trap for the fresh meat. He would be taking out another potential threat and saving the poor creature from his own damned fate. As the Midgardians would say, 'Two birds, one stone.'

He carefully picked his way over the forest floor, and set about making a rope trap he had learned centuries ago. Once that was completed, he found the tree with the best vantage point (his host was courteous enough to allow him a good view of his incoming playmates) and shimmied up into the high branches. He settled cautiously on the wide part of a branch, and kept tight hold of his hand carved spear. A drop of sweat slid across his forehead and into his good eye. No matter. He was asleep in under ten seconds.

This time, the morning was not going to bring a stab of hope as he would be slitting the throat of whatever poor soul was summoned here. With the sun would come only another threat, and another part of his soul would abandon him. He was slowly becoming the monster everyone said he was.

* * *

**AN:** So, just a little taste. Scope out the interest. I love reviews! ;) So, please comment!


	2. Chapter 2

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 1

**Midterms week down, now for a bit of a break. Hopefully I will be able to get some writing done these couple of days home...Or I'll just sleep...a lot...**

**I try to update as regularly as I can, typically on Saturdays, however, I am in college, so I can't promise that I will update every week like I used to. Sorry, but education comes first :/**

**Anyway, here we go. This is, as usual, Loki centric, though I tried to change him up a bit from my normal portrayal. A bit angrier and darker, than I usually write him as.**

**Keep in mind it is LOOSELY based on the movie Predator, so I'm not labeling it a crossover. I have not actually seen the movie, but I liked the concept, and thought, hmmm...wonder what would happen if you threw the Avengers on a planet to be hunted? This is the result.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Compromises For the Better?**

It burned. Whatever it was, it burned. Tony swore his suit was melting and adhering to his body. He wouldn't even know if he screamed, because the roar as they were shot somewhere was so deafening. The only thing he could maybe describe it as, would be being set on fire and shot out of a cannon, into a volcano. He couldn't see anything as they went, didn't know if the rest of the team was with them. Finally, before he just puked his brains out into his helmet, the Flight from Hell came to an abrupt halt.

Tony felt his feet hit solid ground and if the suit's knees hadn't locked he would have fell flat on his face. It took him a few moments to get his sight and hearing back. His throat hurt, which confirmed his thoughts that he had been screaming. Deciding not to repeat that, Tony just stuck with hyperventilating.

"What, the Hell, was that!?" Tony ripped off his helmet, and looked for the rest of the Avengers. Steve, Natasha and Clint were picking themselves off of the ground, while Thor was kneeling by Bruce, who had changed back on the ride over. He was passed out cold on the ground, but was slowly coming to as Thor shook him.

"Is..Is everyone alright?" Everyone, sans Bruce, answered in the affirmative, though Tony wasn't sure he could move. Steve scooped his shield up off the ground and only then did Tony try to test his mobility. One foot, then two, okay, he could walk. All was well, sort of. His first move was to go help Thor with Bruce. He had gotten him into a sitting position, and Tony helped get him completely off the ground. Tony looked around the…jungle?…they were in.

"I'm not seeing any fig leaves around here, Brucie." Dr. Banner grimaced and made to cover up, at least for Natasha's sake. The red-head just smirked.

"Trust me, Doctor. It's nothing I haven't seen before." Bruce shrugged. Then Thor got another 'I've got an idea' look on his face. He reached behind him and pulled his cape from his shoulders and offered it to Bruce.

"Here, Friend Banner. You may cover yourself with this." Bruce took it gratefully, using it as a sort of toga.

"Alright, is there any clue as to where we are?" A quick survey produced only one piece of vital information.

"Well, Cap, I'm going to have to say, not on Earth." Tony was pointing towards the two suns in the sky. Clint groaned.

"Seriously?" They seemed to all be taking things in stride. Compartmentalizing well. Which meant Tony was going to have nightmares for at least a month after they get home. Steve turned to Thor, as did they all, at the first mention of alien.

"Thor, any ideas as to where we are?" Thor shook his head, not even having to look around.

"We are no where in the nine realms that I recognize. If not for the two suns I would have said a jungle forest on Midgard." Bruce's forehead pinched together.

"And how we got here? Not like the Bifrost you said?" The Asgardian prince nodded this time.

"The Bifrost is a smooth, if unsettling journey through the universe. That was a harsh mockery of it. I could only compare it to dark magic." Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"So should we be looking for Loki?" That put them all on edge. None of the Avengers wanted to deal with the Norse god of mischief again. That was one bag of crazy that did not need to be reopened, as they had told Thor many times. Hawkeye rolled his eyes.

"We better not be. I am not dealing with that psycho again." He started to walk towards some dense brush before Thor could lure him into another argument. While the archer and assassin tried to figure out more about their surroundings, Tony put his helmet back on to see if Jarvis had been able to follow them out…wherever they were.

"Jarvis, you there, Buddy?" The screen still worked, which meant he had power in his suit, but there was no sarcastic, British voice to greet him. He was about to give up when a static filled his ears. "Jarvis?"

_"S-sir. You are no longer on Earth, and I..am ha-having trouble staying on line."_ Tony sighed.

"I kinda figured. It's okay, Bud. Can you get me a general idea of where in the universe we are?" Before Jarvis could stiltedly answer, a surprised cry caused Tony to whip his head around.

Clint was hanging by his ankle about two feet from the ground. Everyone quickly gathered around him. Natasha and Clint were already hacking away at the vine with their knives, but it was like trying to cut through steel cable with a pair of kindergarten scissors.

"What the Hell is this stuff?" There was a rustle in the tree across the open field like space they were in, and they all froze, waiting to see what had caused the disturbance. For a few seconds there was nothing, and then Clint cried out. Something had just run past him and sliced his arm as it went by. They didn't see anything by him, but then Clint had an arrow drawn and aimed at something behind them. What they saw nearly caused the Hulk to come back out.

There in front of them, was Loki. All he had in the way of clothing was a pair of ragged black trousers. What skin was showing was covered in grime and dried blood. If Tony remembered correctly, the last time they had seen him, his black hair had been much longer…and he had had two eyes. Now though, his hair appeared to have been crudely chopped to a much more Midgardian length and another ragged piece of black cloth was tied around his head and covered one eye. His one good eye had a feral quality lurking in its depths, something that spoke to him having perhaps lost a bit more of his mind since the last time they had crossed paths. Around a bicep, a crudely crafted sheath held a lone dagger, which Thor recognized as one of Loki's throwing knives. In his hands was a hand crafted spear, a favored weapon apparently, and the sharp tip at the end was painted in, what had to be, Clint's blood. However, the dark stains underneath of that and lower on the shaft, suggested the weapon had been used on multiple occasions.

For all the staring the Avengers were doing, Loki had barely looked at them, his eye only on the spear's tip. His ran a finger through the blood and wiped it on the back of his other hand. He must have gotten something from doing that (really creepy) staring wiping thing, because Loki's head suddenly whipped up and he was staring at them in what could only be described as shock.

"You…you are real." His voice sounded a lot rougher, less refined, and it held a great amount of surprise. Thor was the first to speak.

"Brother? What…what are you doing here?" Whatever trance Loki had been in, Thor's words knocked him back out. His face shut down completely, and he slid the knife from his arm. Everyone immediately went tense and were ready for anything. He simply raised a brow and gestured at Clint with his knife.

"I can just leave him up there if you like. You'll never get him down, and he'll be dead before nightfall." Clint snorted, which sounded a bit funny since he had been hanging upside down for a few minutes now.

"Like you wouldn't be the one to slit my throat." Loki shrugged.

"If I had wanted you dead, you would be already. You will not be my concern for dry long. I'm sure you'll _all_ be dead by tomorrow morning…if you're that lucky." They all weighed the words in their heads, and Steve came to a decision.

"Cut him down." Clint spluttered.

"Wha- Cap-" Loki ignored him as he quickly made his way over to the hanging archer. He lifted his knife,

"We've tried that already," and it slit right through the vine, Hawkeye landing on the ground with a thud.

"Not with a knife dipped in the poisonous blood of the birds around here you haven't." Loki turned to walk away, but Clint jumped up and held one of his own knives to his throat. Loki snorted and was completely relaxed.

"You would be doing me a favor, Hawkeye. But if any of _you_ want to live, I suggest you get moving. Stay in one place too long, and it will kill you." Clint's hand didn't move an inch. Loki didn't seem overly concerned though, even when he sighed, causing the blade to nick his skin a bit.

"Okay, what is _IT?_ Cause I'm sensing it's capitalized and bloodthirsty." Loki nodded.

"And it is no doubt watching all of us right now. It is the hunter. If you do not move, you will die." That caused a shiver to go around the group and everyone instinctively looked around. Steve saw how Loki seemed so unconcerned and called him on it.

"You don't seem too worried about it." The Trickster rolled his eyes at the Captain.

"I have been on this planet for a good while. I know that I can escape it. But you?" His eyes skimmed over all of them, and he scoffed. "You will all be dead by nightfall." Clint growled and pressed his knife harder into Loki's neck, enough to make Thor step forward.

"Hawkeye, I would have you release my brother." Loki and Clint both scowled at Thor, if for different reasons.

"How do we know what he's saying is true? He could just be saying that. Maybe _he_ brought us here. To kill us in some sick game of his." Loki leaned closer to the archer, ignoring the blood slowly sliding down over his clavicle.

"Believe what you will, Barton," he hissed. "I could care less about your little lives. When I first showed up on this Norn-cursed planet, I was accompanied by eight other beings, all from different realms. I watched as that _thing_ picked them off, one by one. Twice before, it brought new prey, and both times they were dead by the next morning. I have survived this entire time, and at this point, I don't care if I live or die, as long as I get to destroy that thing. If not," he shrugged. "Then I get the satisfaction of knowing that you wouldn't stand a chance, and will be ripped apart," he leaned in, "slowly, intimately…"

Loki pulled back with a chuckle and shoved Clint's knife away. The archer gave him no fight, though he never stopped glaring at him. The Trickster could tell his words had affected the others as well. Steve had crossed his arms over his chest, shield resting on his foot, ready at a moment's notice.

"You're saying this thing is a hunter?" Loki started to walk off.

"That is what I said. Now, I suggest you leave this area soon, or be killed immediately." He didn't get far before Tony, suicidal tendencies Tony, grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Unhand me you-" Tony was prepared for the backlash, but was surprised when Loki stopped mid-sentence and just stared at the arm he still had a hold of. "Where did you get that, Stark?" Loki reached out for it, but Tony, wisely, pulled it back, and kept the Trickster at bay.

"Why?" Loki snarled and seemed to battle within himself whether it was worth it.

"That arm is made of a metal not found on this planet." Natasha cocked her brow.

"So?" Loki bit his lip, possibly to keep back a rude comment.

"_So_, this planet has elements from almost every single realm. That metal, is the only kind I have not found." Tony looked at the robot arm with renewed interest, popping the face plate up to get a closer look at it.

"You think this thing kept this element off its planet for a reason." Loki didn't smile, but he didn't snarl either. He just nodded. "This is important to you." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Tony saw the near desperate look in the Trickster's eye and came up with a crazy, possibly suicidal yet possibly brilliant idea. "Okay. What if we work together on this?" His suggestion was met with an immediate protest by Clint and Loki, silence by Natasha, Steve and Bruce, and loud acceptance from Thor, go figure.

"No, listen. You've been on this planet for a while now, right?" At Loki's reluctant nod, he continued. "You know how to survive here, and I don't know about these guys, but I want to make it back home, preferably alive. So, we work together. We help you defeat this guy, and you help us not kill ourselves via poisonous bird blood. Win-win." Loki continued to scowl at him, but the challenges against Tony's idea had dropped down to pissed off mutterings. Just to move things along a bit faster, "No deal, no arm. I will destroy this thing, before you even lay a hand on it." Loki raised a brow at him.

"And what is to stop me from slitting your throats when you eventually fall asleep and taking it?" Tony smirked at him.

"You think whatever it is that is hunting us is going to kill us first. You really think it's going to just leave this thing lying around for you when it's done? No. It'll kill us, and take this, leaving you with no way to kill it. So," Tony also raised a brow at Loki, holding his ground until-

"Very well. But only on one condition." Steve stepped forward then, trying to regain some resemblance of leadership.

"Oh? And what's that?" Loki pointed at Thor.

"He stays as far away from me as possible." They all caught the downtrodden look on the Thunderer's face, and Tony nodded.

"Alright, but he holds the arm."

* * *

**It's time to get plotty! Sorry...my brain is mush...**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 2

**Here we go. Geez, by the time I'm done with work and get to writing this, my brain is just like, "...Nope." [shut down]. -_- Very frustrating.**

**I try to update as regularly as I can, typically on Saturdays, however, I am in college, so I can't promise that I will update every week like I used to. Sorry, but education comes first :/**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Decidedly Not**

Loki's first rule of survival: keep moving. Don't stay in one place too long, like they already had. It surprised him that the hunter had not struck once when they talked in the open field. Perhaps it was more eager to make a real hunt rather than simply taking them out at the soonest convenience. Either way, Loki was going to be taking as much advantage of that as he could at the same time as keeping an even closer eye out. If this thing was looking forward to these particular prey…it would get creative.

He moved quickly, only occasionally glancing back to make sure the others were keeping pace. As soon as he found a secluded area, however, he made them stop.

"It would do you good to remove the armor, Stark. It is slowing you down, which in turn is slowing the rest of us down." Tony rolled his eyes, but did remove the armor, making it change into more of a backpack than a briefcase. As soon as he was finished, Loki continued on, obviously trying to get somewhere.

"Hey. You want to tell us where we are going?" Loki didn't answer, just kept walking. He knew where he was going, and he didn't want to say it out loud. The spot he was looking for was right up ahead, and getting to it meant surviving one more night. His eyes were locked ahead of him, but then he froze. A faint humming was coming from his left, and he quickly held up a hand to signal them to stop.

"What-"

"Silence," Loki hissed. He listened as the humming got closer, closer, closer. His fist tightened around his spear, and he was as tense as a bow string. The others had heard it too and were gripping tight to their weapons. Loki caught movement out of the corner of his good eye, and held perfectly still. The buzzing creature didn't even stop; it simply bypassed them and went on its way. Loki let out the breath he had been holding and relaxed minutely.

"We need to move. Now." He took off running, not bothering to see if the others were following him, towards his sanctuary. However, they were loud enough to alert anything within a few miles that they were following him, so Loki didn't feel all too concerned.

A few yards in front of him, he spotted his marker. On the trunk of a tree he had carved a small line, indicating the bounds of his haven. Without stopping, he ran right past it and- disappeared.

The others, though very much disconcerted, did not stop, but also ran, until they were all hidden from sight. It was like walking through a waterfall, as they passed through a wall of magic and felt it wash over them. They were not expecting what they found.

Before them, stood some sort of fort. It was very rough, but definitely could provide shelter and warmth. If they could compare it to anything, it would be similar to the huts of Native American tribes on the East Coast: sticks and brush and branches of much variety being woven together and reinforced.

"Okay, what _was_ that?" Loki emerged from the hut with a leaf that seemed to hold different berries.

"This is my sanctuary. _It_ created this planet with all sorts of obstacles and unnatural changes, tests if you will. Seeing as he had brought a powerful sorcerer to play with, he made this planet so that my magic only works in certain pockets, and even then, I do not have full access to my powers. I stumbled across this one a few weeks into my stay." He knelt on the ground and motioned for them to come over, glaring at Thor when the man tried to scoot closer to him. Once he had their attention he held up a small blue berry.

"This, is safe to eat. It will give you enough strength to get you through the night. This," Loki showed them a fruit that looked like a green rock, "is good for healing open wounds. It will prevent infection if you grind it up and rub it into the wound." Loki set each down into their respective piles, and then he carefully handled a beautiful, round purple fruit half the size of the blue berry.

"You do _not_. Eat. This. It will kill you in a matter of moments. The juice however, is only hallucinogenic. It is not pleasant, but it is not fatal. Don't let the juice touch any open wounds." Tony is a scientist. Tony has to ask.

"What will that do?" Loki looked at the berry, then dropped it back into its own pile.

"It will rot you from the inside out."

"Broth-" Loki glares fiercely at Thor, causing the man to cut off his words. "Loki," he tries again, slowly. No raging reaction, so he continues. "Why do you keep a pile of poisonous fruit here?" Loki scoffed and stood.

"In case I need to kill someone, Idiot." Tony was watching Loki close enough to recognize that Loki included himself in the 'someone' category. If Loki really had been in this place for months, then the inventor could see how he might keep suicide as an alternative option. The Trickster returned his berry stash to his shelter and reemerged with his spear and a sling across his body. He pointed at Natasha and Steve.

"You two will come with me to gather food. The rest of you will stay here. Do _not_ leave the clearing." Clint, unsurprisingly, protested.

"I'm coming with you. I'm not letting you out of my sight." Loki opened his mouth to bite back, but Natasha beat him to it.

"The fewer people that go, the less chance their is that we'll attract attention. You know that, Clint. Don't turn this into something it's not." Loki smirked at the archer, and then motioned for the two to follow him. Natasha pulled her gun out, and Steve fastened his shield to his arm rather than back, neither of them wanting to be caught unprepared in the alien world.

Clint kept walking the perimeter, and it was driving Tony insane. Thor was to his left pouting about not being able to get near his baby bro without his head being bitten off, and Bruce was off in a corner meditating. Though, Tony appreciated that, because the last thing they needed is Hulk killing the only one here that knows how to survive.

So, this left the inventor to his thoughts, which were running a mile a minute. They were, for better or worse, working with the enemy. But…well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend…right? He had no doubt that Loki could and would turn on them at any point, but right now he could see no benefit for the god if he did…besides not having to deal with them. No. Loki was smart. He would use them to his advantage and would probably only kill them after they were off this planet.

This made up in his mind, Tony tried to talk with Jarvis again. He pressed a few buttons on his makeshift backpack and a flickering, holographic screen came to life.

"Hey, J, you there, Buddy?"

"_Y-yes, Sir. To ans-answer your last ques-tion, you are not in-in any known part of the univerrrse." _Tony sighed and hung his head.

"Well, I kind of figured. Can you do a preliminary scan of this area? Send the data back to the Tower." Jarvis didn't waste energy replying, just went straight to work scanning everything he could. Tony left his AI in peace, and was once again left with his thoughts. His eyes wandered and landed on Loki's little hut. He really shouldn't…but he will, because he's Tony Stark.

That being said, Tony got up and walked over to the woven shelter. It looked like one stiff breeze would blow it over, but Tony put a little weight on the 'walls' and found them surprisingly sturdy. There was…barely anything in the shelter. The ground was mostly grass and compacted dirt, but besides the leaf of berries Loki had shown them earlier and a rough bowl or two, nothing suggested Loki actually stayed there. Maybe it was all he needed, didn't bother with other things, only requiring a roof over his head. But this was Loki, and none of this said 'Loki, God of Mischief and Silver Tongue' to Tony.

He left the rugged shelter and looked up into the sky. The trees blocked most of what he could see, but he was able to catch a glimpse of some sort of light source, a sun, similar in size to their own. Tony could only think that was strangely normal when something else caught his eye. There was a patch of…off-green? Whatever it was, it just barely didn't match the color of the surrounding foliage. Tony stood directly under the trees now, and the others looked at him curiously as he stared up into the leaves.

Finally, he saw it, and Tony smirked when he did. In the tree tops was a hammock, almost invisible amongst the green. Figures. Loki only had the shelter as a distraction, so if this _thing _came knocking or somehow managed to break through his barriers, the Trickster would be safely hidden above him instead of in the hut.

"What? Something funny?" Tony shook his head at the archer and turned away from the trees. For now, Loki's secret was safe with him.

"Naw. Just thinking funny thoughts." One glance at his suit told him Jarvis was still scanning, so Tony went and sat beside Bruce.

"How you holding up, Big Guy?" Dr. Banner plucked at the draping of Thor's cape that fell across his knee and shrugged.

"Holding it in. Maybe if we found this thing, Hulk could just smash it." Tony hmmm'd a bit before answering.

"I have a feeling it's going to be a lot more complicated than that. I think Loki would have killed it by now don't you?" Bruce considered this, when another thought struck him.

"How has he made it this far though? He's been here for a few months and according to him, there were others with him, and after them more. How is he still alive?" Thinking back to the little hiding spot in the trees and the bits and pieces he had gathered from Thor's talk of Asgard, Tony had a pretty good idea.

"He's learned how to survive and he's smart. If the other aliens or whatever that were brought here with him are anything like how Thor describes his people on Asgard, I bet they just stomped through the woods trying to bash this things head in without really thinking. If this thing is as good of a hunter as Loki says it is, then the other guys would have gotten picked off like fish in a barrel." Instinctively, Bruce and Tony looked around at the trees as a shiver ran up their spines.

"But, yeah. Maybe turning green would not be the best idea right now." Just then, Tony's suit started to beep, signaling that Jarvis was done scanning. Bruce followed him over, and sat beside him as he started to fiddle with his suit.

"Jarvis? Did it work?" The holographic screen was still up, so Tony took that as a plus, but it was a few moments before Jarvis answered.

"_Yes, S-Sir. Scans compleeeet-te. Data has been sent to-to your labs on Earth. Losing pow-er, Sirrr." _Tony really didn't want to, but he shut Jarvis down with one last order to tell Pepper and Fury what had happened to them.

Something snapped out in the woods and all of them shot to their feet. Thor gripped his hammer tightly, and Clint was already aiming with his arrow. The air was thick with anticipation as they all strained to hear anything else.

After a few moments of nothing, they eased, but only slightly. Tony glanced over at Bruce and saw him breathing deeply, trying to calm down.

"Hey, Buddy. Everything's fine. It was probably just a bunny or-" Suddenly, Natasha and Loki come bursting through the trees and into the clearing, dragging Steve between them.

They got him in front of the hut and laid him out on the ground. Before he was even back on his feet, Clint had Loki pinned beneath him on the ground, a knife to his throat.

"What did you do to him?!" Loki growled at the archer and easily flipped them over, so Clint was now caught beneath the god.

"I did nothing but ensure this fool did not get himself killed." Loki pushed off of Hawkeye, leaving him on the ground. He slid the satchel over his head and pulled out a few cardinal sized creatures and some of the 'safe to eat' berries. Bruce walked over and knelt down next to the fallen captain that Loki seemed intent on ignoring.

"What did happen then?" Loki set about preparing the food, but answered without looking at the doctor.

"He touched one of the plants, and the sap soaked into his skin. When the toxins took affect, he nearly wandered into an electrical barrier in his haze. We had to drag him back here, but the commotion attracted the attention of the creatures we saw earlier. That was why we were running." Only then did Loki glance over his shoulder at the team gathered around their fallen comrade.

"There is nothing you can do for him, but let it run its course. Should he survive the night, he will be fine." They all had a hard time keeping their tempers in check with the nonchalant way Loki was treating the situation, but kept their mouths shut.

Loki was their only way off this planet, whether they liked it or not. Right now, it was decidedly not.

* * *

**Wait...Loki...so are you good or bad? Answer me!**

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 3

**Once again, sorry for how long this took, just...my brain keeps crawling away when I actually want to use it for something fun... -_-**

**Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Lucky Shot?**

Loki prepared the food for all of them, ensuring that at least Thor was paying attention, so he would not be the one to do so every time they needed to eat. Loki still did not speak or acknowledge Thor, but the Thunderer took it in stride and settled himself with being happy he at least got to see his brother.

They ate while making sure there was some left for Steve when he woke up. And he would wake up. Night had fallen, and it only grew a little cooler in the darkness. Loki started a fire for them to gather around, and seated himself away from the rest of them. They all stared into the flame in silence, unsure what words they could possibly ascribe to their situation. It was after a long while of this staring that they heard Steve shifting and groaning. The Avengers all rushed to his side, while Loki stood, an eyebrow raised. The effect wasn't the same with one eye covered.

After a lot of coaxing and groaning, Steve opened his eyes and looked up at his team.

"How are you feeling, Steve?" Bruce felt his forehead, and wasn't surprised at the slight fever he felt there. The Captain blinked a few more times before opening his mouth to answer.

"Tired and sore." That encouraged them. Steve was coherent and aware and awake. Bruce and Thor brought him over to sit by the fire and gave him the food saved for him. After a few swallows of water, Steve was already looking better. He looked over to Loki, who had been ignoring them the entire time.

"What was that stuff?" Loki looked at him, appearing bored.

"A poisonous plant. When you touched it the sap soaked into your skin. And now we know that we do not touch _anything_." Loki spoke as if to a small child, but Steve just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. I got it. Thanks though." Loki raised a brow at the soldier and crossed his arms over his chest.

"For what?" Steve ate some more.

"You could have left me there. Natasha is strong, but she wouldn't have been able to carry me back by herself." Loki only pursed his lips and nodded once. A tense silence followed, and they stayed that way, until they decided it was time to get some sleep.

"I'll take first watch," Clint said. Loki stood and shook his head.

"There is no need for a watch. I will not guide a bunch of sleep deprived numbskulls through a hostile jungle. The wards are sufficient and will protect us while we _all_ sleep." Clint scowled at Loki's retreating back. The Trickster disappeared into his hut and was gone. Tony just shrugged.

"Well, good night then everybody." He curled onto his side and used his arms as a pillow. Soon, everyone else followed, and they were all asleep. Well, not all of them.

Tony was not known for sleeping a lot; this meant he was fully awake enough to see Loki creep out of his shelter and climb up to his leafy hideaway. Tony just smirked, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Sleep was not easy. Despite the fact that they had all slept on the ground at one point or another and knew how to make due, being in the midst of a hostile environment made it a bit more difficult. The nightmares stayed away as though even they were afraid of where their hosts were now.

When they woke they each felt rested enough to continue their journey. The Midgardians were all standing and ready to go, though there was a problem. Loki was missing.

"Where is my brother?" Clint already had an arrow notched in his bow.

"Yeah, I think we're all wondering the same thing, Big Guy." Something growled off in the trees, and they instinctually closed ranks, waiting to see what it was. Tony was next to Bruce and kept glancing over to see how his skin tone was doing. The tension rose as they heard the creature walking towards their camp. Their heads followed the noises as it growled and prowled in a circle, all the way around the outside of the wards. The only glimpse they were able to get was the occasional flick of a pointed tail. It stopped directly across from Thor's part of the circle, howled like a dying cat, then just seemed to walk away.

The team held their positions, however, in case there was another threat. Of course, this meant that when they finally began to relax, something came through the bushes.

Clint's arrow flew across the clearing, and Loki simply leaned to the side and raised a brow at the archer.

"I thought we were in some sort of truce." Clint snorted.

"Yeah, well I thought you were something trying to kill us. Oh wait…" Loki rolled his eyes, while Clint got the disappointed glare from Steve.

"Brother, where did you go? You were not here when we woke up." The Trickster held up a full sling sack.

"Someone had to get provisions. We will all be leaving the wards today." Tony couldn't help but feel that part of Loki's little excursion was also to keep the others from knowing his actual resting place.

"Anywhere in particular?" Loki nodded at the captain.

"There is a cliff a day's journey in that direction." He pointed to the trees, which meant nothing to the Avengers, but they all nodded anyway. "If we make it there before nightfall, we should be safe." He handed out a small parcel of food to each of them. "This is all you will have until we reach the cave. Make it last."

"So, is there any plan beyond going to a cave, or are we just doing this for giggles?" Loki clenched his jaw, and pushed down the urge to slit the archer's throat.

"If you make it to the cave, I will tell you." Tony rolled his eyes.

"That's encouraging." Loki growled and spun around.

"If you want to be told that you will live to a thousand years and will tell great grandchildren of you grand adventures on a foreign planet, then go to that idiot over there!" Loki gestured wildly to Thor. "If you want to actually survive, you will do all that I say without complaint. Is. That. Clear?" The inventor had to bite his own tongue to keep a snarky comment back, but he managed it. Loki actually seemed on the verge of putting his spear into Tony's gut. Clint and Natasha didn't seem too ruffled, though it was obvious they weren't expecting such authority in the villain's voice. Steve looked like he was having bootcamp flashbacks, while Bruce was breathing slowly.

Then there was Thor, grinning broadly, robot arm held under his arm.

"It has been a long time since I have heard you use such command, Brother." Loki scowled, but ground his teeth and took a deep breath to calm himself. It seemed even he knew that it would be a bad idea to just start killing them.

"That is because I did my best to avoid working with idiots, _Thor_. And I am NOT your brother." The smile fell off of the Thunderer's face so fast it must have hurt. Loki turned away from Thor after that, still scowling, but Tony would swear he heard a little something else behind the anger and hate. Something like a bitterness or regret. One glance at Natasha showed that he wasn't the only one who had heard it. Loki reached into his satchel sling and ripped out a small branch devoid of leaves.

"This is what the Captain touched. The leaves to be more precise which are about the size of my palm and have blue veins running through them. Touching it will cause death in only a few minutes for you mere mortals. But rest assured it will not be pleasant." All of the Avengers' eyes drifted to Steve who swallowed, now realizing how close to death he was just from touching a little plant. Bruce stepped forward to examine the plant more closely, and Tony had to hold in a laugh as he caught Bruce's smirk when Loki tensed at his approach.

"So, with Steve having the super serum, it stopped the poison from killing him. What would it do to you or Thor then?" Loki did not exactly seem enthusiastic to divulge that information, however he also knew the doctor would not back up until he answered.

"In the case of your Captain, he was very near death's door, and this _serum_ somehow managed to stave it off, and it ran it's course. It would not kill Thor or myself, but would cause…violent hallucinations, like living nightmares." Bruce nodded satisfactorily without commenting and stepped back, much to Loki's semi-obvious relief. To cover for his slip, Loki whirled on Thor.

"So do not touch it, you idiot. We can not afford to have you crying out and trying to smash everything in sight with that infernal hammer of yours. I don't care how fascinating something may look. Do. Not. Touch. It." Thor nodded solemnly, but his lips twitched up as soon as Loki had turned his back.

Finally, Loki deemed that it was time to head out. He stopped them once more at the barrier and looked them each in the eye.

"Once we step through here, this will no longer be a safe place. You can not come running back and think you are protected. Everything on this planet is hostile. Do not trust your eyes. Do not speak unless it is necessary, and do everything I say. Then, and only then, you might make it to the cave alive." He waited until he had physical confirmation from each one of them that they understood. "Alright. And Thor. If you lose that metal arm, our truce is finished." That got Thor a lot of heavy looks, but he bore them well and cradled the arm like a life line.

Tony had no doubt that Thor believed the arm to be the only reason Loki spoke to him at all….Which was probably true.

Loki turned to the invisible barrier that only he could see, and raised his hand. With a few foreign words and a slashing movement, he nodded and motioned them to follow him.

Loki would sprint a few yards, and then drop into a crouch and stop. The first few times, Tony and Thor, being in the back, bumped into each other. Each time it invited creepily identical glares from Loki and their two assassins. They continued this pattern for an hour or so, but the tension was mounting the longer they went without meeting a foe. The jungle seemed too quiet. They could all sense it. What scared Tony (yes, he was freaking terrified) most, though, was how obviously Loki was unnerved. If this was unusual to him…

Suddenly a loud buzzing filled the air, and the hairs raised on the back of Tony's neck. He looked around but couldn't see anything. Creature, alien weather- nothing.

"Run!" They were all in a straight line, so they could only go as fast as the person in front of them. However, this also meant that none of them could see what was ahead of them. Loki, Clint, Natasha and Steve just passed a tree, when beams of electricity shot out of nowhere and separated them all. Bruce stopped them all just in time, before the three of them ran straight into the beams. They whipped their heads around looking for whoever set them up.

"The beams are triggered by a trip wire of sorts. It isn't here, but It will be soon." Loki was looking above the beams for something, and finally seemed to find it. He turned and ran off into the trees a ways until they couldn't see him anymore.

"Where is he going!?" Even Natasha glared at Clint, because really, now was not the time. Eventually, they heard rustling in the trees above the beams and saw Loki crawling out onto a branch. His spear was strapped to his back, and he clutched a thick vine in his hands. Tony wasn't going to question it, if it would help them. The Trickster made it to the end of the branch and tied the vine to it before dropping it over the other side of the electrical fence.

"It should hold. Hurry. We nothing good is ever left inside the fences." That got them moving. Bruce, with some effort was able to haul himself up, and Tony followed. His training with Steve was paying off, not that he would ever admit that. Finally it was just Thor, however, there was a bit of a dilemma. It wasn't safe for the Thunderer to simply fly over the fence via hammer, but he still had a hold of the robotic arm. The Avengers only seemed to realize this when Tony and Bruce were safely over. Loki reached down holding his arm out.

"Hand it to me, Thor. Then climb up." Thor actually hesitated. Clint seemed to agree wholeheartedly with this decision.

"Wait a minute. How do we know that you won't just pop away with it and leave us all here? Just toss it over, Thor." Loki scowled and rolled his eye.

"I have told you before, my magic does not work well enough on this planet for me to simply 'pop away'. I am not willing to risk the oaf throwing the arm too far and having it lost to the elements. If you are so upset by this, why don't you climb up here?" Clint scowled back.

"Fine." Clint made towards the tree, when a shot flew through the air. They were in a battle stance in the next second. What scared Tony the most was seeing the fear flashing across Loki's face.

"Thor, hurry up!" Thor glanced behind him as another shot rang out, before making his decision. They all heard something crashing through the trees and coming towards them, but they couldn't see it.

Thor threw the arm to Loki, who caught it easily, before starting to climb up the vine. The next shot was aimed straight at the vine, and they all cried out as it grazed it just enough to make Thor sway dangerously. Tony caught the moment of indecision on Loki's face before the Trickster scowled and called to him.

"Man of Iron!" Next thing he knew, Tony was catching an arm and Loki was reaching a hand out towards his brother.

"Hurry up, you fool!" Shots were still flying, though they weren't hitting any of them. It was like whatever it was was deliberately missing them. Until-

"Ah!" They looked up to see Thor finally hauling himself up on the tree, and Loki clutching his arm, blood seeping between his fingers. The Thunderer wrapped an arm around Loki's waist and hauled them both from the tree.

They landed with a loud thud, and everyone started running.

* * *

**Let me tell you, I hate running. This story makes me tired just from writing about all of this exercise. **

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 4

**So...I have successfully survived finals! I got home last week and passed out for a few days, giving my brain time to grow back. This is what I've gotten done since I've finally gotten the time to write. Please enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Compromised**

Loki stumbled along. His grip tightened on his arm, trying to staunch the bleeding. The wound went clear through his arm. He did not need to worry about bleeding out, more so about getting an infection. However, they needed to move. So, he gritted his teeth, pushed away from his bro-No. Loki shook his head, and put on a burst of speed get to the front of the group.

Bullets were chasing them, though the shooter was still hidden from sight. Loki didn't have time to concern himself with this, though, as the safest thing to do was to run. He barely looked back to ensure the humans were following him, and just kept going.

Eventually, the bullets stopped, but they didn't stop, unsure what lurked behind them. Loki's vision was blurring on him, but he had to push on. After they reached a particularly dense section of jungle, he held up a hand for them to stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Clint hissed, though he was just as out of breath as the rest of them. Loki scowled at the archer.

"You can…keep running. I dare you…to find your way." Loki's chest was heaving, and he wiped away the sweat from his upper lip. He caught Thor's look of concern and scowled at him to. No need for anyone to feel left out. The Thunderer himself was barely breathing heavily, and the same should have been said of Loki. However, that was obviously not the case, yet Loki chose to ignore that small detail for now.

"How much further?" Steve still held his shield, ready for another surprise attack.

"It is another hour in that direction." Loki waved his hand to a patch of trees identical to every other one.

"And you're certain it's safe?" Loki did not have the energy or care for their tedious questions.

"Yes! I am certain. Now, shut your mouths and move." Fueled by his rage, he stood and moved forward. However, instead of finding steady ground, Loki's feet felt like they fell straight through the earth and he went to a knee.

"Loki!" Thor rushed to his brother's side and threw an arm around his shoulders. "You are badly wounded, Brother." Loki tried to shake Thor's arm off, but found himself unable to.

"I am…fine, Thor." However, his body felt the need to betray him. Instead of standing as it should have, Loki's body felt like it was floating and attached itself to Thor's side.

"What's wrong with him?" That was very much something he would like to know as well. Loki rolled his head around to say so to the Man of Iron, but the world turned and he was thwarted.

Then something touched his arm.

"Aaaargh!" He struggled against whatever dark creature was holding him captive and causing him such pain. If Loki could just get a grip of hair or spine then he would have some leverage over the monster.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with him? Shut him up!" While there were many times Tony wanted to smack Clint upside the head, right then he agreed. After Loki fell to his knees, it was like he had lost it, and he wouldn't stop screaming. The inventor didn't think Thor picking him up was a good idea, and he was being proven right. However, this wasn't the kind of reaction he would have expected from the collected villain. Instead of simply arguing or pushing Thor away, it looked like Loki was trying to fight him off, as if he were under attack. Thor looked beseechingly at Bruce, even as his brother pounded against his chest.

"Dr. Banner, can you do anything for him?" Bruce shook his head.

"Not unless we've got a medical kit anywhere, and I knew what was making him react that way. The best idea is to get him somewhere safe and…keep an eye on him." Steve nodded and motioned forward.

"Alright, Loki gave us a general direction and time limit. We'll continue that way and hopefully we'll find the cave." The Avengers could only follow the plan, as it was all they had. Loki had finally stopped screaming and seemed to be going limp in Thor's arms. They all breathed a sigh of relief and started walking.

The forest was denser here than it had been before, which was good and bad. While it could help them hide from predators, it also meant those predators could hide from them.

Steve took the lead with Natasha. Thor was behind them, cradling Loki in his arms, with Bruce beside him, checking over his brother. Tony followed with the arm in his possession as well as Loki's spear, and Clint took up the rear, bow at the ready.

They were all extremely tense; any time they heard a noise, they froze then picked up the pace. One of the suns was getting close to setting, while the other stayed high in the sky. It was rather distracting for a scientist like Tony, and he allowed it to occupy part of his brain function as they hiked.

Occasionally, Loki would stir in Thor's arms. Tony swore he heard a whimper or two from the mischief god, though he would never say that to guy's face. The few glimpses Tony got of the man's face solidified the inventor's theory that whatever was going on in the guy's head wasn't pleasant.

Despite the dangers they had encountered earlier, the jungle seemed to have calmed and they hadn't run into anything since that last time. It was like whatever was shooting at them had gotten what it wanted and left them alone. The thought made the hairs on the back of Tony's neck stand. They continued being as stealthy as they could, which wasn't very stealthy at all, and somehow survived reaching the cave.

Well, it was a cave; they couldn't be certain whether it was the right one. When Steve stopped the group, Thor kept right on walking, past them and to the mouth of the cave.

"Thor, what are you doing?" Thor paused and turned his head to look back over his shoulder.

"Friends, this is the cave Loki spoke of. His magic surrounds it." And with that, he kept walking until he disappeared into the dark hole in the rocky outcropping. Tony looked at the others and just shrugged before following the Thunderer. The others weren't far behind, and soon they were all inside of a large, dark cave. It was obvious, once there, that this _was_ the cave Loki had told them about, as there was some food and piles of wood for fire gathered off to the side. A small pile of cloth scraps and large leaves could be seen, and Tony correctly assumed it was for sleeping on.

The slight chill of the cave was much more comfortable than the thick heat of the jungle, and the humans reveled in the reprieve. Bruce spotted the comfortable pile and pointed Thor towards it.

"Put him down over there, Thor. Tony, can you power up some light?" Thor gently set his brother on the lump of cloth and foliage and knelt by his head. Steve walked over to watch how things proceeded and so did Natasha. Clint scowled and gripped his bow tightly.

"I'm gonna stay over here. Keep watch." No one listened as he stalked off to the front of the cave, grabbing the robotic arm to keep it far from Loki. Unconscious or not, he was still a threat. Tony was in the process of trying to boot his suit up, when Natasha pulled a miniature flashlight from her belt and shone it on Loki's pale form. Bruce directed her to point it towards the god's arm, and the doctor began his examination.

There really wasn't much he could do without any medical supplies. Then Bruce remembered something.

"Hey, didn't Loki tell us about a small fruit that can help heal wounds? Does anyone remember what it looked like?" Natasha handed the flashlight to Tony and stood.

"I remember. Steve can come with me." The Captain nodded, and they left the cave past a still scowling Hawkeye.

Bruce went back to his work and examined the wound in Loki's arm. It looked as though the bullet went straight through, so he didn't have to worry about trying to dig it out. There was blood obscuring his view a bit, but something more alarming caught his attention.

"Thor, Loki's adopted right?" Thor, who had settled his brother's head in his lap and had been stroking his hair nodded.

"Yes, Dr. Banner. Loki was born a Frost Giant." Bruce met his eyes.

"Do they normally bleed black?" Thor's blue eyes shot to the wound and his lips pinched together.

"No. They do not." Bruce sighed and took the flashlight from Tony's hands, putting it right where he wanted it.

"Then there was probably something coating the bullet. Either intentionally, or it shot through something before it hit him. I'm guessing it was probably intentional, given how accurate the other shots were. I'm betting whatever it was wasn't trying to kill him, just wound him." Thor's frown deepened and Tony scowled.

"This is all just some sick game of Cat and Mouse." As he spoke, he watched Bruce tear a piece of Thor's cape from his makeshift toga and reach out to wipe at Loki's wound.

"I can't know if this black stuff is poisonous or perhaps just causes some unpleasant side effects." They were all startled when Tony's suit suddenly came to life.

"_Sir, can I assu-mme you are wellll?" _Tony patted the machine like a dog and nodded.

"Yeah, Jarvis we're good. Is there anything you can tell us about back home?"

_"The Dirrrector of SHIELD is nnot pleased, and Misss Potts is worrrrriiiiiieeeedd."_ The AI's voice was winding down, so Stark quickly shut off his suit to preserve as much power as he could.

"Dr. Banner, my brother…" Thor's voice brought their attention back to their injured guide. Loki was sweating profusely and was starting to move.

"Loki? Loki, can you hear me? It's Dr. Banner. You were shot, and we've taken you to the cave you told us about." The Trickster didn't answer, only moaned and started to move more. Incoherent mumbles began falling from his lips and Tony and Bruce shared a worried look as Loki's hands started to twitch and clench into fists.

Thor only had eyes for his brother. Clint hadn't moved from his spot at the mouth of the cave, but he kept glancing over, his face pinched with concern…for his teammates.

"Nnnn…no…No! No!" Loki thrashed about violently. Tony almost got a fist right to the jaw, but pulled back just in time. Thor wrapped his arms around his brother, and pinned Loki's flying fists to his brother's chest.

"Brother! Brother, you are safe!" Loki, however, didn't seem to hear him, and fought him with all he had. In his weakened state, it wasn't much, but he looked very desperate to escape.

"No! No! Ahhhhh!" Tony went pale at Loki's scream. It was one he recognized from his time in Afghanistan. He slid back from the doctor and the brothers and watched on as Loki fought the demons in his head. He watched as both Thor and Bruce tried to calm the Trickster down, but nothing they said was working. Tony didn't think it could get worse…but then it did.

"Thor! Thor, please!" Loki's fighting had near stopped, and it was a good thing too, because Thor completely froze at the words falling from his brother's lips.

"Thooorr….I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Please!" Loki's eye, which had been closed before, was now wide open and staring at something only he could see. Tears leaked out of the corner and fell into his hair, leaving streaks in the grime on his pale skin. "Please…please…"

Tony stared. Bruce shuffled anxiously. Clint glared at the ground in front of him. And Thor…Thor held his brother tight to his chest, no heed for his injury, and wept into Loki's dark hair.

"Oh, brother. Loki, I'm sorry I didn't save you." His voice seemed to cut through some of Loki's haze, and his lone green eye dragged over the Thunderer's face. Loki's voice, usually so confident and biting was now small and broken. _Lost._

"You didn't come. Why didn't you come?" Thor locked eyes with his brother, but before he could respond, Loki's eye rolled back in his head, and he lost consciousness once more.

By the time Steve and Natasha returned with the berries and a few new scrapes, those left in the cave were all silent, replaying what they had witnessed over and over again in their heads. They came to the same conclusion, but it left them with more questions than answers.

* * *

**Yeah, so this chapter is a lot of dialogue. :/ Hopefully you still liked it!**

**Sorry! Had to fix a few things! Keep forgetting that Loki only has one eye! **

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 5

**I have been away far too long, my lovelies! However, I was productive in my month away and caught up on my writing! I hope this chapter makes up for my absence.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**You Didn't**

The suns had set not long after their two teammates returned, and it was warm enough that they did not feel the need for a fire. Clint had been convinced to join the rest of them further into the cave, rather than holding watch. The cave was supposedly warded like there last hide away, so they wouldn't have need for anyone to stand guard. Clint was just being stubborn at that point. Luckily for the rest of them, while Steve and Natasha were out, they thought to gather some of the edible berries that Loki had shown them. While there was already some food in the cave, they figured that they should treat it as an emergency only stash, at least until Loki woke up to if not help then give them some more information about foraging on this planet.

There were moments when Loki would stir or whimper while still held in his brother's arms, and each time he did, those who had witnessed his first outburst tensed, not wanting to hear his shredded voice calling out for Thor. They had filled Steve and Natasha in of what had happened after they told them how their little gathering adventure had gone.

According to them, the jungle had grown very quiet and unsettling. Nothing had attacked or made a sound really while they were searching for the different kinds of berries. However, once they had found what they were looking for and were heading back to the cave, the buzzing from before surrounded them. They ran through the trees as fast as they could to avoid being trapped by an electric barrier, and felt that they had only just made it.

Bruce was very grateful that they had gathered more than enough to help Loki's wound heal, that they would have plenty leftover for future, very likely, injuries. That is…if they were even helpful as Loki claimed they were.

He wasn't sure what about the fruit was supposed to be helpful, so he decided to turn it into a poultice by mashing them in his fingers and crushing them between two rocks. It was crude, but…

"Thor, please hold Loki still. I have no clue what this will do, but it could sting." Thor nodded, and with a grim and determined look on his face, wrapped himself around his brother as well as he could. The doctor nodded and motioned Tony over with the flashlight.

Carefully, Bruce rubbed the green mess over and into Loki's wound. The mischief god stirred and started to moan. Thor ran his hand over Loki's head over and over in hopes of calming his little brother. However, the more poultice Bruce applied, the louder Loki got, until his screams bounced around the cave walls.

Dr. Banner had to grit his teeth at the sound. He was doing the best he could with what he had. The big issue he had was that he had no idea whether it was even working!

"Whoa, Brucie, look!" Bruce paused, and tried to see whatever Tony was seeing. Their other teammates gathered closer to get a closer look, and they all spotted it at the same time.

The black liquid they had seen coming from Loki's wound was now coming out quickly, soaking the crushed berry mash until only red came from Loki's arm and the berries resembled tar. At that point, Bruce scraped the spread away, and Loki calmed immediately. His tense muscles just collapsed, and his breath scraped through his lungs. Once that was finished, Bruce tore a strip of cloth off of his makeshift toga and tied it around Loki's wound. His hope was that now that the mysterious black slop was out of Loki's blood, the Asgardian's superior healing would kick in.

"We are going to have to make you a skirt out of jungle leaves soon, if you keep ripping up your dress." Bruce was too tired to roll his eyes, so instead he flipped Tony off and declared he was going to sleep.

It wasn't long before the rest of them followed, including Thor, who clutched at his brother like he was a Teddy bear.

* * *

Loki felt his face pinch up at the slightest movement. He was sore all over, and it felt like his arm had been ripped to shreds then sewn back together with a rusty needle and left to fester. The god of mischief did not, however, make a sound when he came back to consciousness. The last thing he remembered was pulling Thor up into the tree with him, running and then- nothing but pain.

Now that he was in full control of his faculties, he could piece together what had probably happened. _It_ had shot him, not aiming to kill, and the bullet was laced with some sort of toxin. The only effects that Loki knew of were either death or living nightmares. Seeing as he was not dead, he had experienced the latter. Loki slowly cracked open his eye to taken in his surroundings, and felt something tighten around his chest. Recognizing his bindings, the Trickster wished he had gotten the former option.

With a scowl, Loki tried to move and get a better look around him. A burning pain in his arm stopped him, and he felt the strong urge to take his knife and plunge it into the oaf's arm around his chest. Finally, he gave up and bit his tongue before hissing,

"Thor, you will release me this _instant."_ Thor barely stirred and only tightened his grip even further around the injured god. "_Thor!"_ Loki wiggled enough to get one arm free and reached up. His fingers wound around a chunk of blonde hair and yanked. Thor jerked upward, dragging Loki with him.

"Ow. Loki, Mother always told you not to pull my hair." Loki's jaw dropped open for a moment, though Thor didn't notice as he was still a bit groggy.

"Wh- No. Just let go of me you oaf. I distinctly recall that part of our arrangement was that you stay as far from me as possible." Before Thor could respond, another did.

"Oh come on Reindeer Games. Cut him some slack. He just had his heart ripped out by all of your screaming." Loki felt his blood run cold.

"What?" At this point, everyone was awake and sitting up. Bruce came over to check on his now conscious patient, but Loki flinched away from the doctor. Dr. Banner stopped and held up his hands in a show of goodwill.

"I just want to check on your arm. You had a bad reaction to whatever was on the bullet, and you weren't healing. I used those berries you told us about to extract the toxin and then bandaged your arm. Can I just-" Loki reached around and ripped the scrap of cape off of him, showing the doctor a fresh pink scar.

"There. It is healed. Now, Thor, let me go." The god of thunder, however, looked beseechingly at his brother.

"But, Brother, please-"

"I am not your brother!" Thor's arms dropped and as Loki pushed away from him he was struck dumb by another Avenger.

"That didn't seem to be the case when you were screaming for him last night." Loki's back was to the archer, and he did not feel strong enough to turn around to face him.

"_Clint_," he heard the Captain admonish. Of course, they were all scared of how the _monster_ was going to react. Well, if Loki was honest, he was as well. Without turning, he addressed the hawk.

"Oh. Is that so?" His voice was hard, on the edge of cracking. He wouldn't look, but he was certain his hands were shaking minutely. "And what could I have said that gave you this impression? Perhaps I was screaming for him to come fight me." Even to his own ears that was weak. He heard Thor stand, yet still Loki did not turn.

"Brother…you kept screaming how sorry you were. You…were begging for…something." Thor saw how the Trickster tensed at the word 'begging'; hell, he could practically here his teeth grinding, but he didn't stop. "Then you looked at me, and asked me why I didn't come." Loki's breathing was the loudest thing in the cave, as everyone else was holding their breath.

"Well…you didn't come…now did you?" And with that, Loki grabbed his spear and walked out.

* * *

The air was still tense after the Trickster left. One wrong word could set off the ticking time bomb that was their resident thunder god. Normally Tony would break the ice, but his brain was still a bit confused over what he had witnessed.

"Think he'll come back?" Clint didn't sound concerned in the least, though his voice had an undertone of unease.

"He will. We have something he needs," Natasha said, indicating the robotic arm laying by Steve.

"Okay, look-" Tony stood and began to pace, eyes on the ground. "You _know_ I'm not a fan of the guy. Obviously. Reindeer Games threw me out of my own window, but…we need to talk about what we heard." As he walked, Tony gestured wildly, wishing for a wrench or something in his hand to make it feel more effective. Hawkeye scoffed.

"You aren't seriously suggesting that Loki was under mind control like I was." Tony shot a hard look at the archer.

"Pet peeve, Bird Brain. I don't like it when people pretend they know what I'm thinking. And that was _not_ what I was suggesting." Thor raised a brow at the team.

"But it is a possibility, is it not? It is now obvious that the Chitauri hurt him in some way, forced him." Steve held up a hand.

"Wait. Did Loki actually _say_ anything about the Chitauri? You said he…screamed, like he was being tortured, that he…begged for you to come, Thor, but how do you know that that is what he was seeing while under the influence of that toxin?" Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Steve is right. We're just jumping to conclusions about what we heard. We can't be certain until he comes back. We can ask him then." Clint rolled his eyes, and Tony could tell that they were all getting tired of their teammate's attitude.

"And how do you know that he'll tell the truth? He's the _God of Lies!_" That was true, but Steve was shaking his head.

"We'll still be able to figure it out. His pride was very obviously hurt when Thor told him what he had said. If we ask him about it, he will try to lead us as far away from the actual answer as he can get without it seeming ridiculous." That was where Natasha had to interject.

"No. Loki's a Liesmith; a story-weaver. He'll most likely tell us the _truth_, but in a way we would not believe, with a tone that would suggest we are completely idiotic for suggesting it. _If_ something forced him to do what he did, then he'll bring it up first, so he can control the subject. He's good. It's possible that we won't be able to tell if he's lying." Tony threw up his hands.

"So, what? We just ask and hope we can figure out if he means it?" Natasha leaned back against the cave wall.

"We catch him off guard. When Loki comes back here, he'll be expecting us to ask about it, and about the Chitauri. What we need to do, is ask him something completely different. He'll be confused and wary, but he can't bring up the topic without sounding like he's trying to lead us on." Thor nodded in understanding.

"My brother is very good at misdirection. We must play him at his own game." Hawkeye just sat on his perch, shaking his head.

"This is gonna back fire." Tony scowled at the archer.

"Well, then why don't you ask him? You two go way back after all. I'm sure he'd tell you anything." Clint stood and opened his mouth to retort, but Cap beat him to it.

"Alright, that is enough. Hawkeye, you need to step back." He whipped his head towards the inventor. "Do not say anything, Stark. You're not helping." Tony shut his mouth, happy to let Steve deal with the situation. Satisfied, Rogers turned back to the archer.

"None of us want to be here. None of us want to work with Loki. So _don't_ act like you're the only one who doesn't trust him. We are not blindly following him. We all need to work together to get off of this planet and get back home, and that means cooperating with Loki. That _won't_ work, if you keep acting like it's all of us against you. So get your head on straight, and lose the attitude." Clint had his arms crossed and lips pursed through Cap's lecture. Once the man was finished, the archer had to bite his tongue, and take a few breaths before replying.

"Sure thing, Cap."

* * *

**Sooooo much angst...I'm drowning in it.**

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 6

**So, spring classes have begun, and I'm already starting to question my major. So much work! However, this is why I worked all through January to get you guys some new chapters. Hope you enjoy!**

**Also, I would like to dedicate this chapter to Tamuril2, a dedicated reader and reviewer (not to mention writer-check her out), who always brightens my day. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Bait**

Thor paced at the mouth of the cave like a caged lion. His friends had held him back from going out to search for his brother, assuring him that he would return. However, that had been over an hour ago, and Thor did not trust that Loki had not gotten hurt or captured. Loki had only just woken from a pain and toxin induced unconsciousness after having severe hallucinations. He should not be wandering around on his own.

Loki, meanwhile, was off hunting. He just…had to get out of that cave and away from those- _people!_ It figured that with his cursed fate the Midgardian heroes and _Thor_ had to hear him in such a pitiful state. It was disgraceful, and he would not stand there and be mocked for it. As he walked (for it was dangerous to stop in such an environment), Loki tried to calm himself and to think. When he returned, they would all surely bombard him with questions. Well, Stark and the archer would, and Thor, but the beast and the captain were too polite. The woman on the other hand would wait to strike. She would sit back and observe, before landing a fatal blow.

So, as he stalked the creatures of the jungle, he prepared himself for whatever was to come once he returned. He would have to give them something, but there was no way he was going to tell them _everything_. Loki even denied to himself everything that had happened. However, there was one thing that he could not and would not deny. He was the villain of the story, and that would never change.

By the time he had the cave back in his sights, both suns had risen completely, and he had enough food to last them for a couple days. That coupled with the supplies he already had in the cave, should sustain them for a good time if they rationed properly. Which was a very good thing, because one look at the sky told him that they were in for a storm.

Storms did not happen often on the planet, as far as he had been there. However, when they did, they were violent downpours that lasted for three days at least. What he had also learned, was that it was during these storms that terrible underground creatures surfaced. They would prowl the jungle to escape the flooding in their shelters. Loki had seen more than one alien like him be eaten by the rat like creatures. It was sheer luck Loki had survived the first storm he had encountered. He had been hiding up in a canopy of trees from one of the other beings brought to the planet (a fire giant) and saw a large growling form pass below him.

It had stopped at the base of his hideout, and looked up, giving Loki a glimpse of pure white beady eyes and thousands of pointy teeth. It had circled around, until finally lumbering off. The creature apparently could not climb trees. Just as he had let out a sigh of relief, he heard a gut twisting scream come from further away in the trees.

The next morning, the rain had stopped and Loki left his hideout. He only ever found the crushed bits of skull and other bones of the fire giant.

Another important fact he had found, Loki thought as he approached his current hide out, was that the creatures were smart. While they could not get through his magical barriers, they could sense them. The monsters would lay in wait right at the boundaries, anticipating that he would have to leave at some point, before the rain let up. He would have to inform the Midgardians of this…or not.

All of these things distracted him, and he did not anticipate Thor's attacking him as soon as he was back in the barriers.

"Brother! You have only just recovered! You cannot run off like that! You must rest now!" Loki growled at the chest that he was crushed against and tried to struggle free. There wasn't much give to Thor's arms, and the fighting only served to aggravate his wound, making him more angry.

"Release me this instant, or I will not be held responsible for my next actions." Thor reacted quickly, but Loki still burned him out of spite. The blonde Asgardian only pouted and rubbed the offended area.

"Loki. Where did you go?" Loki walked past him towards the food supplies.

"I went out hunting. We will not be able to leave here for a few days." The Trickster kept his back to those around him, though he was as tense as a bow string, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"What? Why can't we leave? Food's all fine and good, but what about water?" Loki rolled his eyes at Clint's questions, too tired to put up with his angry blabbering.

"Trust me, water is the last thing you will have to worry about." As if on cue, a loud rumble could be heard far off, and suddenly the sky grew very dark. Soon after, rain began falling in buckets.

"It will not be safe to leave until the storm ends. So, best get comfortable." Clint huffed, frustrated. Steve however, seemed to like the idea.

"That actually sounds pretty good, because we all need to talk." Everybody saw how fast Loki tensed, like he would bolt any second. Steve pushed through it like nothing had happened. "We've agreed to an alliance with you, because we've got something you think will kill this thing that brought us all here. Is there any way to get off of this planet without killing it, or do we have to? Either way, we need a plan." Loki settled down, and they all looked at him expectantly.

This hadn't been what he was expecting, but it was still a conversation that needed to happen. He couldn't have them doing something stupid and ruining his chances at both revenge and freedom.

"While it is true that I will get a great deal of satisfaction from this thing's death, preferably a slow one, It does need to die if any of us are going to get off of this damn planet and _stay _off. There is a great deal of magic surrounding this place, and as with all spells, they will end when the one who cast them dies. If we kill the creature, it should not only get rid of the magical traps all over the place, but will make you visible to the Gatekeeper. He'll be able to get you back to your precious little planet. If It does not die, It can simply steal you away from your planet once more, and you won't survive a second time."

"Not to mention, whatever is binding your magic will drop too." Loki tilted his head in acknowledgment at Stark's comment. It was strange, Loki thought as he surveyed those around him. He had not expected the Midgardians to actually listen to what he had to say. Most would brush him off without even letting him finish a sentence. Then the only ones that had listened to him were those that had been controlled by the scepter to do so.

"Alright, so we have to kill this thing to get out of here. Then, how are we going to do that? Loki, you said you think that arm will be able to help somehow." Loki nodded, and turned his attention to Tony.

"You have built weapons in a cave before, yes? Think you can do it again?" Tony raised a brow at the Trickster god so blatantly mentioning a…sensitive topic. Then again, this was Loki.

"Well, I did have tools in that cave too, not just raw materials. So unless-"

"My magic will provide what you need. You just need to use the metal from the arm to fashion a weapon." Tony pursed his lips and stared at Loki. The man seemed…desperate in a way that he hadn't before. Perhaps it was due to everything drudged up via hallucinations, or maybe he had just reached his breaking point. Whatever it was, Tony knew that Loki was going to kill the thing hunting them one way or the other.

"I should be able to make a spear tip out of it and an arrow." Loki's eye flashed and cut to the archer, then back to the inventor with a challenge. Tony glared right back.

"Look, I'll make a weapon for you to wield, but we also need to have a back up plan. What if you fail, huh? We both know Birdbrain doesn't miss." Tony, though he would never say so out loud to anyone ever, had learned a few things from Captain America about planning. Besides, with something this big, he was not taking any chances. Loki scowled for a few moments, before conceding.

"Very well, but that is only if I am dead and did not succeed in finishing It off." Tony rolled his eyes at the emerging diva. Natasha took over the conversation again, before Tony could kick it off track.

"Alright. You get the first shot at It, but we still need to figure out how we're going to get close enough to back you up, or finish the job." Loki narrowed his eyes at the inventor one last time, before turning his attention back to the others.

"It has a central camp where it eats and rests. That is also where It takes Its _live_ captures." Bruce turned a bit green, though it wasn't out of anger. Tony was looking a bit pale as well.

"It doesn't…_eat_ them, does It?" Loki scowled at the suggestion and shook his head.

"No. Of course not." But before the doctor could lose the nausea, "It just skins them alive and takes their skulls as trophies." No one spoke for a few moments. It wasn't anything the assassins, Steve or Thor had never come across, but it dredged up some gruesome memories for them. The scientists, while understanding such brutality existed, had never witnessed such an act or come across anyone (or _anything_) that actually did it.

"So," Steve cleared his throat. "So, we have to find this camp and…ambush it?" Loki shook his head again, his face had gone blank.

"I know where it is. There is no need to try and find it." Clint raised an eyebrow.

"And you didn't think to share this with us?" Loki's hands curled into fists, and fire sparked behind his emerald eyes.

"If I told you that one of you must be captured, taken to this camp, and distract the creature, do you really think you would have stayed? No. You would have killed me, and then died yourselves in a _day_." The archer stood and screamed at the Trickster.

"One of _us_ has to be bait!? Are you kidding me? Yes! I would have shot an arrow through your one good eye, and be done with it." Loki was standing now, and they could all feel a faint crackle of magic.

"I have evaded It for too long! If I just suddenly fell into a trap, It would surely suspect something, and we'd all be dead!" Tony leaned back against the cave wall and crossed his arms.

"You know, a lot of your scenarios end up with _all_ of us dead. Can't you be a little, I don't know, optimistic?" Loki whirled on him then, looking for anyone to lash out at.

"And where would that thinking get you, Stark? Dead! I have been on this cursed planet long enough to know that _everyone _dies a horrible death here. There is no sunshine and happiness here! There is only dead or almost dead. And once you've been here long enough, you start to wish for the former." Silence descended once again over the cave.

Thor opened his mouth to say something to his brother, but Loki stopped him with a look.

"I'll do it," Natasha said, catching everyone's attention.

"What? Nat-" Black Widow copied Loki's earlier move, and interrupted her partner with her eyes.

"I'm a female. It'll see me as the weakest of the group, therefor shouldn't suspect anything when I fall into a trap." She met Loki's eyes.

"Does It always take those It captures back to It's camp?" Loki studied her, as if trying to figure out if she were actually being serious, before nodding.

"Yes. If the prey does not die in whatever trap it fell into, then It always takes them back to It's camp. It waits until night before beginning It's ritual of skinning and beheading." It seemed the only one not into the plan was Clint, but that was to be expected. Unfortunately, it was the only plan they had, and since Loki had been on the planet much longer than they had, he _was_ their best chance of getting off the planet and back home.

Tony surprised them all by clapping his hands loudly together. It earned him a few glares, but since when did that stop him?

"Alright, so plan made. What about food? Don't know about you guys but, I could eat." Loki rolled his eyes, but went to his stockpile, and handed out rations.

It did not escape any of their notice, that Loki had taken a smaller portion than the rest of them. The rain pounded the ground outside, and with food in their stomachs and calming background noise, they were able to unwind a bit of the tension that had grown. Not much, but a bit.

Things were not going to be easy, but then again, when were they ever?

* * *

**Talking in the next chapter! We learn how Loki lost his eye...**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 7

**You are already starting to catch up to me! No! I'll try to get some writing in soon. Classes are beating my butt, and it's only the first week! Like what?! Anyway...**

**Dedicated to Tamuril2 and abyphile for their wonderful reviews that make me smile despite sickness and emotional breakdowns. :) Thank you guys so much (everyone!) for reading and reviewing. It's great knowing I can make someone's day just by doing what I love. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Scars**

Once they were all finished eating, they sat in awkward silence. Some Avengers knew not to say anything, while others felt they should but were afraid to set off a bomb in the relative peace. Meanwhile, Loki was growing tense once more, and was waiting for the other shoe to drop. However, no one mentioned it and Thor did not try to get too close, like Loki had expected.

Finally, Bruce turned to the one-eyed god, and Loki braced himself.

"I'd like to take a look at your arm again, if you wouldn't mind. I didn't really see anything before you left." Loki eyed him, trying to see any ulterior motives behind his solicitous expression. Eventually, Loki surprised the doctor by nodding his consent.

"It is perfectly healed, though, so I do not understand why you wish to- UNGH!" Bruce grimaced in sympathy. All he had done was lightly prod the scar. It seemed that, though the wound _looked_ completely healed, it did nothing for the pain.

"Can I assume that since it is only a scar now, all of the toxin was removed?" Loki nodded sharply in answer, his face pinched.

"I would still be experiencing…torments if there was even a trace of it in my blood. Can _I_ assume you did something to help with that?" Bruce gave him a small smile and told him about the berries.

"The only thing I could think to do with them was to crush them and spread it over your wound. But it was like a magnet, and the toxin was drawn to it, until only blood was coming from your wound. How much does your magic help with your healing?" Loki did not miss the curious flick to the cloth covering his eye. It seemed everyone was curious though, as there was a perceptible incline towards him, as his own hand wandered up to his face.

"I have advanced healing compared to you Midgardians by my nature already…however, my magic does help a great deal. I am able to work some small healing spells in these areas where I have access to my power. However, healing magic requires a lot of time and energy, and for something such as this," he gestured to his missing eye, "I would have needed at least a day of uninterrupted magic use, followed by another day to recover and rest. Obviously, I never had that luxury."

"How'd it happen?" Tony got a few disapproving glares from the others, but he just shrugged. "Like the rest of you didn't want to know. So? You steal a guys lunch money, try to take over his planet, what?" Loki scowled at the inventor, but it was halfhearted. No matter how the genius tried to make it sound petty and insignificant, that memory would forever haunt Loki's sleeping hours.

His mind's eye traveled back to that day, and he clenched down on the shudder that wanted to rack his body. Instead of giving in to the…fear (yes, fear; though he would never admit it), Loki slipped a mask over his face, morphing it until he looked completely indifferent and bored. For a greater affect, he leaned back against the cave wall and let Dr. Banner continue to prod at his arm.

"As I have said before, when I first arrived on this planet, I was not alone. There were others, a being from every realm I knew of, except your own."

"Was there a Chitauri?" Loki lifted a brow at the Captain's interruption, expecting it from all others beside the soldier. Steve, however, did not move from his inquisitive lean forward, and Loki sighed.

"Yes. And it wasn't just a simple foot soldier. This one called itself The Other. He was a leader of sorts and could wield a sort of power not unlike magic. It did him no good, however, as he was the first to die."

"Did you kill him?" Natasha asked. She seemed sincere in her inquiry, though the archer snorted to show his obvious belief that 'yes, of course, Loki killed the Chitauri'. The archer would be incorrect, however.

"No, I did not. _It_ did. As soon as we became aware of our situation, shots were being fired, and The Other was downed in the first few moments. I won't say I was not please to see him felled. Now, back to the original question," Bruce at this point, had given up on his examination, but stayed seated beside the Trickster. "I had been on the planet for just over four weeks, I believe. After a while, I stopped counting…" He trailed off, a cycle of dark thoughts coming alive. Shaking himself free of them, he continued. "I was in a part of the jungle I hadn't come across before, running from the Frost Giant. I had stolen some of his food, as I was dangerously low on my own." Tony made a face saying, '_Called it,'._ Loki ignored him. "The idiot decided to chase me, drawing attention to both of us."

Loki could still feel his heart pounding and the leaves whipping him in the face as he ran.

"I heard him cry out and looked back for a moment. Before I could even register that he was gone, I fell down a steep decline. On the way down, a sharp branch sliced right across my face and eye. Eventually I stopped my descent and landed in some dense underbrush surrounding a small clearing." He remembered clutching at his face, blood seeping through his fingers, and the horrible thought that he would never have full sight again. "I did not move for several minutes, trying to recover myself, and listened for It's approach. I heard nothing, but when I finally decided to move from my position, I heard something come out from the jungle about ten paces from me."

Everyone felt a dreadful anticipation coil in their gut. The pounding rain became white noise, leaving them stuck in the cave with the ominous words that were fast approaching.

"From my hiding place, I could see everything, and I watched as It came out, dragging the Frost Giant by the ankle behind It. I would not have believed the Jotun to be alive had it not been groaning in pain. It dragged him to a large wooden stake near a spot cleared for a fire, and tied him upright to it. When It settled in and sat on the ground, I knew I would not be able to slip away until It left. It just sat there, waiting for something. I didn't learn what for, until night came."

Loki, though his face was still a blank mask, was pale as a sheet. The others could only imagine what he could be seeing in his head, but they would never know the screams that echoed inside his skull.

Thor cleared his throat and crept a bit closer to his brother.

"Will you be able to regain your eye at all?" Loki broke from his reverie and fought the urge to feel along his bandage.

"At this point…it is highly unlikely." Bruce, though full of self-preservation, was also full of curiosity.

"Would you mind if I take a look at it?" Even Tony started to protest along with the others. Loki, surprisingly, was quiet and didn't lay out immediately. He and the doctor stared at each other for a few moments, while everyone around them argued and placated. With a huff, Loki smirked.

"Very well," and he reached behind his head.

"Wait a minute! Now let's everyone calm dow- wait, what?" Tony stared, stunned, as Loki unknotted his makeshift eyepatch. The Trickster did not say anything more as he pulled it away and looked directly at Bruce, eyebrow raised.

A long, ugly red scar cut across Loki's face, from the middle of his forehead across his eye and to his ear. Speaking of which, his eye, which should have been a vibrant green, was milky white and scarred in the middle. The outer edges of it were a light pink and if Bruce guessed, he would say that Loki's magic had definitely _tried_ to heal his wound.

Loki did not take his eyes from Bruce. He would not ever admit it, but he did not wish to see the looks of disgust on the others' faces…especially Thor's. Loki had always been a bit vain of his appearance, and he always tried to look his best, as he would be compared to Thor no matter the time of day. The scar that now adorned his face only added to his vision of himself as a monster.

Bruce for his part, did not say anything, only looked. The Trickster was putting up quite a bravado, but he could easily see past it to the vulnerability the man was showing off. He guessed this was the way Loki addressed anything he saw as a sort of weakness. If you willingly showed it off like it did not matter, then no one could use it against you. The doctor wondering how long it would be before Loki tried that with the story of his time with the Chitauri. He knew that Loki was waiting for them to spring it on him at any moment. The longer they prolonged it, the more wound up Loki would get, which would lead to him, hopefully, slipping up and letting loose more than he intended.

At least that was what Dr. Banner assumed would happen.

No one spoke, and perhaps that was the best reaction Loki could hope for. When he started feeling exceedingly uncomfortable, he replaced the strip of cloth until the entire scar disappeared beneath it. When it looked as if Thor was going to say something, Loki gave those present and sharp smile.

"Now that we are all done with this…'Show and Tell'," Loki looked at Stark. "Shall we get to constructing the weapons?" Tony shook off any remaining…shock, concern? He didn't know, but whatever it was, he ignored it and nodded.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, let's get started on the constructing." Loki motioned Tony over to him, when the inventor had the robotic arm. They sat cross-legged across from each other, knees almost touching, and with the arm in between them.

"I need you to explain exactly how you would turn this into a weapon. Then I will be able to take it from there." Tony nodded, and then spoke as Loki sat, completely absorbed in what he was saying. It was a little unnerving, which was an unusual thing to hear from Mr. Tony Stark. Attention was never something he turned down or shied away from. However, getting it from a current ally/villian-that-tried-to-take-over-the-world and about what he normally did (be a genius)…that was definitely a first.

In the end, it turned into Tony walking Loki through the process and directing him. It was irritating and made his hands itch to just take some tools and do it himself, but that wasn't an option. Also, it wasn't like Loki was doing it wrong or was incompetent, quite the opposite. The whole thing just felt wrong, and he had to bite his tongue a few times.

They made it through, however, and they ended up with a couple of deadly and accurate weapons after many hours. Loki smacked Tony's hand away from the spear tip that he tried to poke his finger on. The Trickster took the sharp implement away from the mortal and began to fasten it to his spear. Hawkeye came and inspected the arrow. He looked like he desperately wanted to say something bad about it, but could only grunt and stow it away in his quiver. Loki smirked, but did not comment.

"So when did you learn how to forge weapons? I gotta admit, you picked that up a lot faster than I thought you would." Loki appeared to be debating whether answering the question was worth his time, when Thor answered for him.

"My brother has forged many weapons, mostly his own daggers. However, there was always the occasional sword or arrow that would be anonymously gifted to one of the Warriors Three. The weapons were always of high quality. Loki also used to enchant them to not dull or to return to the owner after a successful kill." Loki scowled, but seemed a bit curious as well.

"How could you possible know those were from me? It wasn't like those fools had a clue, and you barely know the history of your own favored hammer." Thor gave his brother a subdued smile, finally deciding treading lightly was probably a good idea when it came to Loki.

"I could not mistake your craftsmanship for any others, Loki. I still have the dagger you made me after my first hunt." Loki didn't respond. Then he scowled deeper and turned back to his spear.

"Wait, so what did you need me for? I know I am awesome, but if you knew what to do already…" Tony didn't elaborate farther, and just waited for Loki to answer. He did, after a particularly harsh scowl at the weapon in his hands.

"It has been a few decades since I have last forged a weapon, and I would not have been able to put up with your incessant whining if you were not involved in the process somehow." Hawkeye snorted at Tony's pout and the matter was dropped.

Cap looked like he really wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure whether to bother their already irritated ally. Finally, he just decided to do it anyway and cleared his throat.

"I thought you said that you could only do simple magic in these spots where it's not blocked completely. How were you able to do this then? It looked pretty complicated to me." Steve didn't sound like he was baiting him or trying to catch him in a lie. One look at the man, showed that he was genuinely curious rather than distrustful. So, Loki gritted his teeth and answered him.

"Well it wouldn't look simple to you, now would it? You are not a sorcerer. I on the other hand am, and _I_ know that fire spells and pressure spells are some of the simplest, and the first abilities most magic wielders master. As Thor has pointed out, I have been forging weapons for centuries, and excel at this kind of magic, making it less complicated. They are also very emotion based. As long as you have enough emotion to pull from, fire spells and the like are very easy to command." At this, Loki looked up and met the Captain's bright blue eyes.

"It should not surprise you that I have an abundance of powerful emotions to 'fuel' fire spells, Captain." Here Tony actually snorted and barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, shocker, Reindeer Games. So which was it: murderous rage or severe daddy issues?" Automatically, everyone in the cave tensed and cursed the inventor in their heads. But, Tony always had to poke the bear, and get scratched before he learned, and even then, more often than not it had to happen more than once. However, they were shocked, when Loki, rather than slitting Tony's throat, started laughing.

"While I shall applaud your bravery, you had better reign in that tongue of your's, Stark, or you will soon personally experience which emotion I was pulling from." Loki's grin was all teeth, and they could not help but compare it to a crocodile.

Tony just laughed again.

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**Yeah, so if you didn't guess, I'm not good at writing technical jargon or describing anything science-y that Tony does. Hope this worked though!**

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 8

**Oh dear...it's been a while hasn't it? I apologize, but school happens :/ Spring break is almost upon me though, which is both good and bad. Hopefully I'll get some actual writing done over my one week of freedom! :) We can only hope.**

**Angst! Fluff! Some sweet bits that make you want to both cry and hug a Loki!**

**I also realized that I have never put this in: I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Why You Listen to Loki**

After another round of rations was passed out, they all settled in to eat and chatter idly. Certainly, they were all itching to leave and execute their plan, but given the weather and Loki's warning (which he did not elaborate on), they were stuck where they were.

Eventually Loki started a small fire for warmth, spelling the smoke away, so it didn't just fill up the cave. Thor settled himself right beside his brother, when they all gathered around the fire. Loki scowled and scooted away, but did not say anything. His brother took it in stride and only rested back on his hands. The rain was long forgotten, and they either held soft conversations with each other or stared into the flames, lost in their own thoughts.

What Loki had told the doctor was true. There was no longer any toxin running through him, which meant that he would not experience any waking nightmares. However, the toxin had stirred up memories Loki had shoved deep into the depths of his mind, wishing to forget them. As he watched the flames dance before him, and felt his magical strength siphoning off to take care of it, images flashed before his eyes. Darkness. Pain. Stars far too far away to offer any sort of comfort. He had been so far gone from Yggdrasil's branches, that Heimdall could not see him, not matter how much he prayed to the Norns that just this once the Gatekeeper would spot him.

He had been hurt, angry. He had _thought_ at the time that what he was doing was what was right, what his fa- Odin would approve of. But none of that mattered now. Loki was not Asgardian. Loki was now the villain, and would never be accepted back into the Allfather's graces. Which was fine, Loki told himself. He no longer cared for the old man's approval. It was never his to attain to begin with, so there was no reason for Loki to care if his actions hurt others. No one cared for him.

_No one had come. _

Loki startled back and smacked at the hand that touched his face. It was then that he noticed everyone had stopped talking and was staring at him like they had never seen him before. Loki looked back at the offender (Thor, of course) and scowled fiercely.

"What?!" The Trickster ignored how tight his throat was. Thor's eyes were…sad, and his hand was still extended.

"Loki…" The green-eyed god furrowed his brow and looked at the other man's fingers…noting that they were shimmering with water. He reached up to his face and was horrified to find that tears had slipped down his cheeks unnoticed.

He quickly wiped them away and stood. Loki glared at Tony, and grew more mortified and angry at the _understanding_ that was written across the inventor's face. There was nothing for them to 'understand'.

"We had an agreement that he would stay away from me." Without waiting for any kind of response, Loki stalked to the mouth of the cave and turned his back to all of them, staring out at the rain.

Bruce, who was sitting next to Thor, patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. Thor barely acknowledged the doctor, rubbing his fingers together.

It had been very hard when Thor first thought Loki dead. He mourned and refused to come out of mourning for weeks. His father had accepted it for the first few days, but after that, the Allfather began insisting that he move on. Thor refused, and they were at odds for a long time. They still were if Thor was being honest. His friends tried to coax him with hunting trips and sparring games, but nothing could interest him. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three tried to be understanding, but they had not loved Loki as Thor had. It was his mother that finally got him out of his 'funk'. Thor had not seen her smile in weeks, much like he could not bare to see his own.

Then one day Thor was sitting in Loki's room, the curtains closed and the door locked. He kept replaying that moment on the bridge over and over again. Seeing his brother fall, not being able to save him, knowing that he was partially responsible for driving his brother to do what he did. His grieving and self-hatred cycle was interrupted by the doors bursting open. A small part of his heart leaped, imagining it to be Loki, about to scream at Thor for invading his privacy. He could not help the disappointment that came when it was his mother. However, the woman before him appeared fierce and more lively than she had in weeks. She walked directly over to the curtains and threw them open, nearly blinding Thor. With another burst of magic, she freshened up the room, as it had been gathering dust. Then she turned to him, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him out of the room.

Thor had a small smile on his face as he remembered how his mother had forced him to sit with her in the garden. She had then gone on to tell him that Loki would have smacked him upside the head for being so depressed. Even with how his brother behaved now, Thor could picture it.

When he had heard that Loki was alive and on Midgard, he nearly fainted, his heart lurched so hard…..and when he had learned that Loki was bringing harm and an invading army. Well, Thor was filled with rage. After all of his time mourning and grieving the loss of his little brother, sticking by his memory when he learned the truth of Loki's heritage and trying to convince his friends of Loki's goodness, it was like his baby brother was throwing it back in his face. But as he got his hands on Loki, as he saw the unnatural madness that lurked in his eyes, Thor just wanted to crush him in his arms, take him home and forget any of it had ever happened.

That was not to be, however, and as he defeated and chained Loki, a part of Thor's heart hurt. It was then that he thought his little brother truly had lost himself. Any attempt to speak with him or bring back his little brother from his darkness was met with scowls and venomous words. Things had come to a head, a month and a half in to his brother's imprisonment, when Thor had neglected his duties one too many times in favor of trying to talk to Loki. The Allfather had banned him from visiting his brother altogether.

But now, _now_ they were back together again…and Thor didn't know what to do. He wanted to go back to how they used to be, but then again, had not what they used to be driven Loki farther from him? Thor shook those thoughts from his head. No. He had changed; they both had changed, but Thor still wanted to be brothers. Loki was avoiding him and throwing scathing words at him, but Thor refused to give up. These last couple of days had given him a close up into Loki's hurt. His brother never discussed his feelings with him, even before Thor's failed coronation. It was just not what Loki did. Seeing this side of his brother hurt Thor, knowing that Loki carried around so much pain that had spawned his great anger and being kept at arms reach or farther, forbidden to help.

Thor straightened then. Just because Loki did not want his help, does not mean that he would not get it. Thor had never back down from a challenge until he had beaten it into the ground…well, perhaps this required him to be a bit more delicate. However, the principle was still the same. Thor would not give up on Loki. It was simply not an option.

The others watched the interaction and fall out. None of them were surprised by how Loki reacted, but there was a…_something_ there that suggested Loki might not have minded as much as he did.

Tony would have bet ten bucks that Loki was still doing his silent, man cry as he stared at the rain. It was the perfect setting for it too. Dark, pouring, emotional angst, Jack Skeleton vibe…it made Tony wonder how often Loki actually cried. They were seeing a different side of Loki, one that didn't _not_ read super villain, but one that made you maybe understand why they went down that track.

Everyone kept glancing between Thor and Loki, as if they were actually torn with who to offer comfort to. Tony himself, was not one for giving hugs. That was Steve's job. If he had to pick, though, he would go with Loki. That man needed a hug. Maybe that was why he was a villain. Not enough hugs as a child. Then again, Tony wasn't in the mood to get his hand bitten off by Loki or his spine snapped by Thor in one of his bear hugs. So, the inventor stayed resolutely where he was, waiting like the others for something to happen.

Then something did, but it wasn't what they were expecting.

A low rumbling was coming from outside the cave. It wasn't thunder, though…it was more like…growling. Loki tensed at the mouth of the cave, and slowly got to his feet, until he was in a crouch, spear out.

"What is that?" Loki made a sharp hand gesture for silence.

"Hush!" Nobody moved, waiting for whatever it was to show itself. The scariest part was that Loki looked nervous.

The growling got louder, closer. It was dark, and with the rain pouring as it was, there was no way for them to see anywhere past five feet out the cave. But then…whatever it was got close. _Really_ close.

It was right at the edge of the magical barriers, growling at them. The Avengers were shocked at the fear that zinged through their chests. The creature's eyes were pure white, offset by pitch black fur surrounding them. However, that seemed to be the only place with consistent fur coverage. Everywhere else on the creatures body was a patchwork of black fur, cracked and bleeding green, gelatinous looking skin and mud. The fire reflected from its teeth, tiny razor sharp things. It almost looked as if the monster didn't have a mouth, only a whole clump of hundreds of teeth under its eyes. It was the size of a black bear and had claws like one.

Then it walked forward again, until it pressed right against the barrier and roared. Loki didn't even flinch, but his grip tightened around his weapon, and the others felt a strong pressure fill the cave.

The horrible monster prowled back and forth in front of the cave a few times, growling all the while, before it seemed to lumber off. The Avengers didn't unwind until they couldn't see or hear the creature anymore. Loki had slumped against the cave wall, and the strange pressure had gone down again.

"What was that thing?" Loki just stared at the wall as he answered.

"I don't know, but it only comes out during these storms. It can sense magical barriers, but fortunately cannot get through them, as you have just witnessed."

"Wait, you didn't know whether that thing would get through or not?" Loki glared at the archer.

"I have observed this creature before. It had not broken through my barriers before, but I make it a rule of mine not to trust _anything_ on this planet. I had my magic ready, in case it did break through." Bruce rubbed his temples.

"So that pressure we felt, that was your magic?" Loki simply nodded, looking about ready to pass out against the cave wall. Tony looked like he wanted to ask a ton of questions, but a glare from Steve stopped him. That and Thor was approaching his brother, which made them all wary.

"Loki, you are exhausted. Come back to the fire and rest. You have protected us from much this day." Loki only managed a half-hearted glare at Thor, from the ground where he had sunk. Thor held out a hand, but Loki grabbed his wrist, just to be difficult.

Once he was on his feet, Loki let go of Thor and walked, shakily, back to his original spot by the fire. He slumped forward, once seated and ran a hand over his hair.

"Is that thing the reason you said we shouldn't leave the cave?" Loki barely lifted his head to look at Steve.

"Yes. It has killed more than one of the others brought here. There is…never much left of them." Thor reached his seat by his brother and sat a bit closer than last time. Loki was too tired to care. Calling up that much magic when he was weak and already hampered by whatever It had done to the planet, had drained him. He could feel his eye-lids falling, but tried to fight it. Loki did not wish to sleep, however.

Though the toxin was long gone from his system, it had dredged up what he had been trying to forget. Those thoughts swirled in his head, and Loki knew that sleep would only pull him back into that darkness, only this time, no berries could get rid of it.

Everyone was quiet. Banner and Stark were conversing about their Midgardian science and Romanoff was muttering in Russian to the archer. The Captain was simply observing everything, keeping watch though no one had their guards down. Thor, though, Thor would not stop staring at him!

Loki could _feel_ his br- the Golden Prince's eyes on him, and it made him want to squirm. The giant oaf would not leave him be! Could he not understand that Loki did not want to be brothers again? That they were _never_ brothers to begin with. That Loki was just a changeling in the House of Odin, good only for providing the shadow to the Crown Prince's sunlight. That Loki could not be anything more to him…than a monster to slay.

Eventually, Loki gave in to his exhaustion and laid down. Only to rest his body for a few moments, but it was just the beginning of the end. Within seconds, his eyes were shut, and his breathing even.

It was strange, to the others, seeing Loki sleeping in the midst of them. Loki was usually much more wary and cautious, so it only spoke to his exhaustion that he would fall asleep by the fire and amongst his enemies-turned-allies rather than in some dark corner.

Thor quietly scooted closer until his hip was practically touching Loki's head. He decided to press his luck and slowly reached out a hand and touched his brother's head. A fond smile slid onto his face, as Loki did not wake, but curled ever so slightly towards his touch.

Steve wished he had his sketch pad and pencils; Clint looked like he wanted to puke.

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**This is a little short, but I felt like I covered a lot in it. Next chapter is pretty angsty. Heads up ;)**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 9

**Sooo...a week long break is not conducive to writing. I have been brain dead this entire time. -_- I am so ready for summer. I am heading back to school ****tomorrow, so no guarantees to updates. Not abandoning the story in any way shape or form, but you might not hear from this story for a little while.**

**So, how is Loki going to react when he realizes where he's sleeping? Also, conversations in this chapter! You might need a tissue or two!**

**I also realized that I have never put this in: I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Who are we anymore?**

Loki was comfortable…which was how he first realized something was wrong. He had not slept comfortably in well over a year. Tendrils of his nightmares still swirled in his mind, as he pushed towards consciousness. His body was still laying out on the cave floor, but his head was resting on something much more forgiving.

The rain was barely a noise to notice anymore, so he listened for the sounds of those sleeping around him. He counted six steady breathing patters (though Black Widow's was quite difficult to discern). Deciding it was safe to check his surroundings, Loki slowly pried his eyelid open. The fire had been doused, and there was only dim light to see by coming from outside the cave. Loki could see the Captain, archer and assassin across from him, and hear the doctor and Stark beside him. Then…

Loki tensed and completely froze when he realized what he was sleeping on. His findings were only confirmed when a large hand gently ran over his hair. Loki nearly had a heart attack when his head unconsciously pressed into the hand petting him, showing him affection. No! Loki was not some affection-starved child! He clenched his eye shut tight in hopes that it would all go away, and this was just another nightmare of the Chitauri's mind tricks. But it was not to be.

"I know you are awake, Brother," Thor whispered. Since when had Thor ever learned to be quiet in any capacity? Loki, as swiftly and quietly as he could, fled from his spot in Thor's lap and glared at the Crown Prince.

"What do you think you were doing?" he hissed. Loki was not going to go running back into the oaf's arms just because he was magically exhausted. Thor sighed and stretched.

"You were exhausted and fell asleep on the floor. You started having nightmares, but calmed when I touched your hair like Mother used to. You looked so uncomfortable and in pain, so…"

"So you dragged me into your lap like some child," Loki growled quietly. He could not believe how humiliated he felt. Cradled in Thor's lap as though he were a toddler, right in front of his enemies. Oh, he was certain they had a wonderful laugh over it.

"_Loki_…" And now Thor was _talking_ to him like he was a child throwing a tantrum over nothing! No! He refused to be treated this way. Loki crouched in front of Thor and held his spear point so it was barely an inch away from the Golden Prince's neck.

"Get this through your _thick_ skull. I am not some doll that you can turn on and off to do with as you will. You cannot and _will_ not treat me like a child you have saved. I. Am not. Your brother."

"I know." Loki froze, shock filling his features. Thor had barely spoken above a whisper, but it was like he had screamed it at him. Thor had finally admitted it, agreed with him, and yet…it did not feel anywhere near as satisfying as Loki thought it would. Thor spoke to the ground, while Loki remained silent.

"I know you are not my brother. You are not the same Loki I grew up with…but I am not the same as I was either. We have both changed greatly, Loki. It is like we are now two different people. I don't know you as you are now, and you don't know me. We are _not_ brothers now, because we are not the brothers that grew up side by side. I know this. But I _want_ to be brothers, again…just not as we were." Loki…really did not know what to do. He had never heard such maturity from Thor, and the man was actually conceding defeat without a fight.

His spear lowered so it was no longer prepared to strike. The rain was now deafening, where before it barely registered in his ears. It felt as if the ground was being pulled out from underneath him. For all the times Loki insisted Thor was not his brother, he always knew the oaf would still see them that way. Loki still had that small cushion to fall back on…_just in case_. But now, Thor wanted to start over, not as brothers but as strangers. It made him reexamine everything.

All of his memories of them together as children, when they were older and began to drift apart, when Thor was banished and Loki found out the monster that he really was….when Loki was found by the Chitauri and wanted Thor, _his brother_, to save him. When he didn't and Loki believed that he was completely and utterly alone and unloved in the entire universe.

But this…this gave him a small spark of something he hadn't felt in a very, _very_ long time: Hope.

Thor saw it and felt like crying out for joy. For so long there had been nothing but rage and pain in his brother's eyes. Now, there was something Thor could work with. He had spent most of the night thinking of a way to get through to Loki, and something finally came to fruition just when he was drifting off. Never let it be said, that Thor never came up with good ideas. Not that he was lying to Loki. No. They weren't the same people that grew up together, and Thor did want to get to the point where they could be brothers again. He would never see Loki as anything less than his little brother, but he wanted to know the man that he had become.

The moment was broken, when Tony started to stir. He shifted and slowly began to wake up. As Loki and Thor were distracted by the inventor, Natasha and Clint cracked their eyes open and shared a look.

They had, of course, heard everything spoken between the brothers. It was…unexpected to say the least. Thor had always been adamant that no matter what Loki was still his brother. He would insist upon it like a stubborn child. However, this new development changed quite a bit. It seemed that Thor had actually taken time to think like Loki. Just a small glance at the blond prince told them that Thor still thought of Loki as his brother. The victory in his eyes was hard to miss.

Natasha confirmed with Clint via their assassin connection that they had to speed up their plan. Instead of waiting a while longer to ask Loki about the Chitauri, they should ask now, while Loki was still vulnerable and disoriented.

So, they slowly 'came awake', making enough noise to catch Loki's attention. Tony was busy poking Bruce awake to care about the others. Steve seemed to sense that everyone else was awake and blinked his eyes wide open. He, like Black Widow and Hawkeye, had heard the hushed, frantic conversation. Steve was a light sleeper, but he knew when to keep his eyes shut and mouth open. One look at the two beside him, and he knew they were planning something.

Loki had tried to pull himself together, and slip on his mask of indifference, but it was nowhere near as effective as usual. His eye had a distinct sheen to it, and he kept shifting his grip on his spear.

Loki wasn't sure what to do with himself. Never before had he felt like acting natural was a difficulty. When he had found out about his true parentage, there had been no need to reign in his emotions in front of the Allfather. Now, his world had been rocked again, but he was among enemies. (He refused to acknowledge them as allies.) He was under no illusion that some of them had heard what was said between himself and Thor, but he was having a hard time caring at that point in time. His mind was preoccupied.

"Loki, tell us about the Chitauri." Loki's head whipped around to face the red-haired assassin and glared at her blank expression.

"_What_?" Clint looked like he wanted to say something antagonistic, but bit his tongue to stave it off.

"You spent a lot of time with them, I'm guessing. How did you manage all that time? You couldn't have been planning the invasion for that long. It was too sloppy, and we took you down too easily. What I've seen these past couple of days is someone completely different from the one that we met on Earth. You've certainly gone through a lot since then, but for someone as independent and strong-willed as yourself, surviving here wouldn't change you so drastically." Loki's glare was enough to burn a hole right through her head if he could put enough magic into it.

Lucky for her the wards prevented that level of spell. Despite Loki's obvious hatred towards the topic being broached, Natasha continued, undisturbed.

"I just can't wrap my mind around it, Loki. Either you're really stupid or you're really smart. Which is it?" Loki scowled at the woman and found himself being watched by everyone. He had long dealt with people staring at him for a variety of reasons, but this was different. In a few of their eyes was actual concern, for the rest, curiosity. Never before had he been scrutinized so intensely….and not known how to proceed.

"I do not see how this is at all relevant to the situation we are currently in." Tony casually leaned back against the cave wall and wished for a scotch in his hand.

"Think of it as introducing yourself. All we really know about you is that we can kick your ass if it comes to it, you do magic and then there's the little bits and pieces we've been able to get from Point Break. You don't want everything we know about you to be from your dearly loved big bro do you? You know plenty about all of us, yet we know very little about you." It was a risky move, but it seemed to be working. Loki's scowl was turning less 'wounded cat in a corner' to calculating.

"Oh? And how would that be advantageous to myself in any way?" Tony smirked. The others watched the inventor and Trickster scrutinize each other for a few moments, before Stark opened his mouth again.

"Because despite what all of the legends say to the contrary, I get the feeling that you're the kind of guy that likes to play fair. So, what do you say? Even the playing field? It's not like we'll be able to tell if you're lying anyway." Natasha was not impressed by Stark's ability to prod Loki in the direction they wanted, because she already knew that the man was capable of it. He just didn't normally use his abilities for anything beyond schmoozing stock holders and competition.

Loki truly seemed to be considering it, and was just a hair's breadth from either agreeing or completely shutting down. The assassin watched as his eye flicked to Thor just for a moment, and then she grinned in triumph (on the inside of course).

"Very well. What is done is done. It is not as if I ever plan on invading your useless planet again." Steve's eyebrows rose pretty high at that statement.

"Really? So why did you attack in the first place? You just don't strike me as a guy that gives up on something he wants." Loki raised a brow in return at the Captain's question. To give off the air of indifference, Loki sunk to the cave floor and sat back against a relatively smooth section of wall.

"Perhaps I simply know when to step back and wait for a better moment, Captain." At the Captain's concerned look, Loki rolled his eyes. "_However_, I never wished to subjugate your little planet. There was no reason for me to." Hawkeye scowled.

"You seemed to have plenty of reasons. You monologued about them all the time." Loki gave the archer a decidedly unimpressed look.

"Yes, and everything that comes out of my mouth is the complete truth. I _do not_ care about Midgard. Besides, if I was ever going to take over your planet, I would never do so as disgustingly obvious and violent as New York." He scanned his eye over the Avengers watching him. "I could slip into your government buildings and whisper in the ears of each and every one of your kings and presidents with no one ever knowing I was there. I would rule your world, and you wouldn't even know it." The truth behind that statement made a shiver go down all of their spines. Natasha was the first to break the chilled silence.

"Fine. So you never would have done it the way you had. Then why did you do it? You weren't at the top of the food chain, that much is obvious. But why you, then? Why make you the front man?" Loki waved his hand in the air.

"I was convenient. An enemy and traitor to the eyes of all Asgard. Known to all other realms as Liesmith and the God of Chaos and Mischief. I had fallen into their laps quite literally." Thor leaned closer to his brother and tried to keep too much concern from seeping into his words.

"Loki, did they hurt you?" The green-eyed god hissed and scowled at Thor.

"What would that matter? I am obviously too weak either way, as I gave in rather than dying. I am no warrior, only barely a man with fancy women's tricks up his sleeve. Besides, according to anyone in Asgard, I would have been able to talk my way out of anything. They could not hurt me unless I allowed them to." That was probably as blatant as Loki was going to willingly get about that topic, but that didn't stop the others from pushing.

"You just boasted yourself about your 'Silver Tongue'. Why couldn't you talk your way out of it?" Tony knew just how to press buttons, and was not disturbed in the slightest by the scowl then thrown his way.

"The Chitauri barely have enough brain cells to understand orders from their superiors. They are violent creatures that enjoy the pain of others, and feed off of fear and the power it gives them. They would not listen to a thing I said. Believe me, Stark. I tried, but you cannot bargain with such single-minded monsters."

"But then obviously you had to have talked to someone other than the Chitauri. Otherwise how would you have gone from _that_ to taking over the Earth and stealing the Tesseract?" Loki did his best to hide it, but the others saw the slight paling of his cheeks as the question brought to his mind the one who had told him what to do.

"Come on, Lokes. Who's the man behind the curtain?" Loki did not even bother scowling.

"This conversation is over." And it was.

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**I do not have the next chapter written for this story, meaning it will take a while before you will see an update. I will do my best to get it to you before the month is out. Fingers crossed!**

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 10

**What is this?! A chapter! I can't believe it! I haven't seen one of these in weeks! **

**Sorry for my long absence. This story truly had me blocked, but also...college. -_- Also want to let you know that finals are nye upon us which means 2 things: **

**1\. I won't be able to update for a couple weekends. I won't have a brain. It will be screaming in terror and melting onto my test papers.**

**2\. It will be summer break soon! I will be home for summer! Which means WRITING! Yipee!**

**Please enjoy this long awaited chapter.**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel.**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Power in a Name**

They could have pushed. It wasn't like Loki had left the cave. None of them could leave while the weather was as bad as it was and those creatures lurked outside. Yet, the Trickster cut them off and was once again sitting at the mouth of the cave with his back to them. It seemed to be his favored position.

However, now it sounded like they had an even bigger problem. Loki had seemed scared, had visibly shown it. That meant that whoever, or whatever, had instructed him in his invasion was powerful enough to do so. They had handled the Chitauri, but could they handle this new threat if whoever it was decided to strike again? They had no way of even guessing if Loki didn't talk to them. One look at Thor told the rest of them that the Thunder God wanted to avoid hurting his brother, but also wanted to know who had done this to Loki, made his kid brother so scared he wouldn't even say the wrong-doer's name.

Feeling compelled, Thor followed his brother to the mouth of the cave and sat down next to him. Loki scowled out at the rain, as it was preventing his escape.

"Loki, you know we will protect you-" A harsh, bark of a laugh interrupted him.

"No, Thor. I do not know this. What I _do_ know, is that there is no way to stop him if he wants something." Thor was quiet for a few moments, rolling that around in his head.

"Well, then why does he not have the Tesseract?" Loki's head whipped around to narrow his eyes at the Crown Prince. Thor took that to mean Loki wanted him to continue.

"If he is as powerful as you say, then why did he not come for it himself? He forced you to get it for him. Yet, the invasion was stopped, and the Tesseract went from being on a naive planet to Asgard. This person whom you speak of does not have what he wants. We stopped him." Loki opened and closed his mouth, struck dumb for the first time in his life and by _Thor_ no less.

"He's right." Both Thor and Loki glared at Clint then. Thor because, though he knew his friends could hear them, he did not wish to have any one break the illusion of privacy. Loki glared at Clint, because it was Clint and the archer irked him to no end. Despite the dark looks narrowed at him, Clint continued to speak.

"We beat the guy, via proxy sure, but we did. Besides, I think we have a right to know what kind of crazy is out there and sent you to invade Earth." Loki kept his mouth closed, but though he was silent, his mind was screaming at him.

When he had first arrived on the planet, the Other was amongst the other beings captured. The first thing that monster did was lunge for him. The Other didn't get far before its head was severed from its body. It wasn't until Loki was far away and sequestered in the highest branches he could find, that Loki allowed himself to believe that his link to the Titan was gone. He had not been a drone like the archer had, but there was a painful connection between himself and the Other, like a beast on a chain attached to the base of the mad man's throne. Needless to say, it was not pleasant. The Green Monster had severed it in Stark's Tower, but for months Loki had been convinced that traces of the spell still lingered. In his cell in Asgard, it had nearly driven him mad.

"I can guarantee," Loki started in a low, dark tone, "that should you ever face him head on, you will lose." Tony held in a snort at the declaration, but one look at Loki and he could tell the god meant it. More than meant it, actually. It would be one thing if Loki was just saying that the Midgardian heroes will be crushed by alien might. Instead, Tony could read in his face that Loki believed himself to be a part of that category too, that this _Thing_ honestly could not be defeated.

"You know," Steve spoke softly, as if coaxing a frightened child to speak. "On Midgard we have these stories that say knowing someone's name gives you power over them. You say he can't be defeated, but we'll still fight if it comes to that. We could use all the help we could get. Maybe it's just a stupid legend, but what harm could knowing his name do? If it does give us power, then great. If not, we're in the same boat we're in now." Loki's scowl did not lessen, however, it did not deepen either which the others took as a good sign.

Loki turned his back on them, and Clint huffed, throwing his hands up in the air. Thor watched his brother carefully, though, and saw how his fingers tightened around his spear.

"Thanos." The breath left Thor's lungs when _that_ name slipped from his brother's mouth. None of the others felt the weight of the name, but horror stories rose in Thor's mind and he could not help but now picture Loki in them. Broken, hurt, crying out for him…

"If you come near me, I will gut you." The golden prince froze and found himself much closer to Loki than he had been originally, his feet pulling him forward.

"Soooo, I take it this guy is more than just another weird name?" Thor nodded without taking his eyes off of Loki.

"He…_Thanos _is a destroyer of worlds. A crusher of minds and wills. Anything in his path is decimated and those that fall into his clutches….have never been known to come out alive." Once again, all eyes were on Loki, and he was starting to feel like an animal in a Midgardian zoo.

"Well, Loki's still standing, and so is Earth. I can't think this guy is as powerful as everyone seems to believe." Thor shook his head.

"Thanos has annihilated entire civilizations, Friend Stark. He is every bit as powerful as is said." Here Thor paused. His head tilted to the side, and the others were reminded of a dog. They even spotted the exact moment his ears pricked up. "Yet, this is the first any have heard of him in ages. People have only just begun to think him dead. Why would he come out from his exile?" Loki hissed in frustration.

"He wanted the Tesseract! He _wanted_ something! What other reason would he need? Why are you even bothering trying to understand his motivations? There is a reason he is called the _Mad_ Titan." Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"So this…Mad Titan finds you when you fall, let's say _persuades_ you to be his front man, and then just stops when he fails to get what he wants?" Loki over-casually shrugs and waves a hand back and forth.

"As I said…_Mad Titan._" No one was fooled by Loki's blasé attitude, but let it slide. It was like trying to get a cat to play fetch. Sometimes they indulge you just for their own curiosity, but then scratch you when you try one too many times. The cave fell silent, everyone letting all of the new information sink in.

Tony had to break it though.

"When's this rain gonna stop? I'm starting to get a bit claustrophobic." Tony was obviously not claustrophobic, but the cave atmosphere was starting to get to him.

"It stops when it stops." When Tony opened his mouth to bother him again, Loki snarled, "It tends to last three days. When it does, the creatures you saw earlier go back into their holes, and we will leave." This didn't stop the inventor from feeling antsy, but at least now he knew. Steve stood and started to pace, just to give himself something to do.

"How far from here is this Thing's campsite? Does it move around?" Loki, grateful for the change in topic (though he would never say as much), pointedly ignored Thor's anguished expression.

"All the times I have managed to come across It's resting place, it was in the same spot. That is about half a day's journey from here."

"We'll have to gather provisions then, and not set everything into motion right away." Loki inclined his head to the red-haired assassin. While he wanted to simply rip the Thing's head from Its shoulders, he knew the plan they had was their best shot. Loki silently commended the woman for her stoic courage.

"You mean we should just hang out here, until we feel like it? I don't think so." Tony crossed his arms over his arc reactor and tried to look menacing. It wasn't working. They could all see how anxious he was. Bruce stood and awkwardly put a hand on Tony's shoulder.

"It'll be fine, Tony." The inventor huffed and went to pace at the farther end of the cave.

Loki's head cocked to the side as he took in the man's frantic movements. The Midgardian inventor was a ball of energy, certainly, but his actions were speaking more towards panic than restlessness. Then a bit of information came to him. He recalled what Barton had told him of Stark's creation of 'Iron Man', his time spent tortured in a cave in a desert and the betrayal of a father figure. If Loki dared, he could look and see the parallels between Anthony Stark and himself, but he shut off that train of thought as soon as it started. Instead, he leaned his spear against the nearest wall and walked into the cave.

"Mr. Stark." Tony whipped around and narrowed his eyes at Loki. Before he got a word out however, Loki's hand was covering his eyes, and he lost consciousness. There were cries of alarm even as Loki gently lowered Stark onto he ground.

"What did you do to him?!" It was times such as then that Loki really regretted having taken Clint Barton as his drone, if only so the man might have been less inclined to yell at him every time he breathed.

"He was simply working himself into a panicked state. I would not like to deal with a trembling Stark. It's a simple sleeping spell. This shall give us a few hours free from his whining. You're welcome." Bruce hurried over and felt for Tony's pulse. Loki rolled his eye, when the doctor looked to Steve and declared,

"He's just sleeping." Loki's eye caught Natasha looking at him, and he froze. He felt like she was skinning him alive and looking at his insides with her eyes. Loki suppressed a shudder and moved back to his spot at the mouth of the cave. He didn't acknowledge the faint buzz of activity behind him. His ears tuned out the murmur of Russian and mumbled reassurances. Loki truly did not care what the Midgardians thought of him.

The worn young man settled down onto the cave floor and leaned against the wall, his head turned to watch the rain. After some time, he sensed someone settling next to him, and who else could it be but the Golden Prince.

"I thank you for what you did for Friend Stark, but you are wearing yourself out, Loki. You need to rest." Loki didn't even grace that statement with a sneer. He simply continued to stare at the deluge outside.

Thor sighed softly beside him, but thankfully didn't touch him in any way or move closer.

"You can pretend not to care all you want, Loki, but we both know the truth." At that, Loki did sneer. He just turned to scowl and snap at Thor, but when he did, he saw that Thor was walking away, simply leaving him with that last statement.

* * *

When Tony opened his eyes again, it was to an unsettling quiet. He slowly assessed each part of himself and found that he felt better than he had in a while. That was when what happened came back to his mind.

Tony scowled at the fact that he had been put to sleep like he was some unruly child (only Pepper got to call him a toddler and get away with it). He pushed himself up on his elbows and looked around.

Everyone was asleep! It was night time and the moon was shining and- Wait. Tony looked back outside again and realized that it had finally stopped raining. The clouds were gone and he could see the moon and stars. He had to bite his tongue to keep from shouting for joy and forced himself to stay where he was. Running out into the open air would do nothing but get him killed. People could say he was reckless all they want. Sometimes, Tony really did look before he leaped though.

A small fire still burned, and the others were all circled around it in various positions. Only when he counted did he notice that one person was missing.

Looking back to the mouth of the cave, Tony spotted a lone, pale figure curled up against the wall. He walked forward cautiously, making sure not to step on any of the splayed body parts.

Tony was not surprised when he found Loki to be awake. Without a word, he sat down beside the Trickster and looked at the stars. Just being able to see them made his anxiety ratchet down a number of notches.

"I'm surprised you have not struck me yet. Barton certainly would have." Tony snorted.

"Legolas would have let loose three arrows before you got within three feet of him. Besides, whatever you did, I feel great. Best sleep I've had in a while." The corner of Loki's mouth twitched and a sharp brow went up.

"It was a simple relaxation spell, but you were so high strung you fell asleep. It was only supposed to calm you down. Instead you ended up unconscious for the rest of the day and into the night." It was Tony's turn to raise a brow. He looked back at his fellow, asleep, Avengers and then back at Loki.

"I take it you didn't tell them that." Loki's mouth twitched again as he shook his head.

"I did not feel like hearing Barton rant for hours on end should I tell him that my spell had unexpected consequences. But rest assured, Dr. Banner checked to reassure them all that I had not killed you." Tony sent a fond smile and happy thoughts Bruce's way and leaned back on his hands. They stayed quiet for a while, before Tony finally asked.

"Do you really think we can get out of here?"

Loki's silence said almost too much.

* * *

**Well? What do you think? I wrote this chapter over a span of weeks! I could barely remember where I had left off and had to re-read the story multiple times. **

**Anyway, review por favor! **


	12. Chapter 12

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 11

**Guys! Guysguysguysguys! It's a new chapter! :) So, successfully finished my firsts year of college (Yippee!) Was planning on updating last week, but was high on drugs :/ (wisdom teeth surgery). But here we are! **

**Please enjoy this long awaited chapter. PS SORRY IN ADVANCE, IT'S A SHORT CHAPTER!**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A QUOTE FROM TOM HIDDLESTON! Bonus points if you can find it ;)**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Distraction**

It was the sunlight that woke everyone in the morning. Clint had been the most vocal about it.

"Finally! Lord, I missed the alien-planet sun. I call first dibs on scouting party."

"That won't be for a while yet, Barton. It is best to let the beasts settle back into their homes before charging out there." Hawkeye glared at the Trickster.

"But you said-"

"Feel free to get yourself killed, Barton. It will not be on my head if you do." When Clint opened his mouth to argue, Natasha whacked his arm.

"Just don't." The speed with which Barton's mouth shut would have been amusing in any other situation. However, Loki had lost the ability to take pleasure in simple amusement long ago. He allowed himself to be distracted instead by Tony's wild eyes. The inventor looked about ready to rush out of the cave despite his warning, and that wouldn't do. With an annoyed growl, Loki gripped Stark's arm and dragged him back towards the fire spot. He sat down, harshly dragging the inventor with him to the ground.

"I don't like to be manhandled, thank you. Only Pepper gets to do that. What's with the-"

"I will _not_ have you running outside and screwing everything up. Because you would, in a spectacularly loud fashion." Loki scowled at Stark, then started rambling about the magic and 'science' behind his cloning ability. Everyone on the team watched on, partly confused and mostly surprised. Everyone, except for Thor, that is. The golden prince had a small smile on his face as he watched his brother help a friend. Loki used to be able to show his good heart a little less…aggressively, however that had changed along with a number of other things about the Trickster.

Thor's thoughts were interrupted by Natasha's approach. With a pointed look at Loki and Stark and a tilt of her head, she walked over to the opening of the cave. Thor followed, a sliver of dread settling in his gut.

"Thor, you need to be prepared for what is going to happen." Thor's brow furrowed as he looked down on the small woman.

"I have fought many battles, I assure you, Lady Natasha. I am more than prepared to go into another." Natasha shook her head.

"I'm talking about Loki, Thor. He's your brother, and you care about him, and despite what he says, he cares about you." Thor could not help but look back at said brother then. Loki had fully engaged Stark and had attracted Bruce Banner into the conversation as well. The golden prince saw something in his brother that the others more than likely missed: he was happy. Or content at least. Loki never really had one to discuss his knowledge with except their mother. However, as both boys got older Odin 'suggested' Frigga pull back and allow them to grow on their own and not live in their mother's skirts. Perhaps that is where Loki's resentment started.

"You can tell?" While Thor could hope all he wanted, it was another thing entirely for someone as observant as Natasha to say as much.

"If he didn't he wouldn't be so vehemently against you calling him brother and screaming. It would be completely different if he ignored you. The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.**" **Before he got himself lost in another bout of hopefulness and happy memories, Thor got serious.

"I thank you for that hope. However, what do you believe I must prepare myself for?" Thor just caught the minute pinch of Natasha's lips before she turned to look out the cave and away from him.

"Loki is desperate to leave this place, but he is also resigned. He believes he will die here. There is something on Earth we call self-fulfilling prophecy." At Thor's silence, she continued. "People believe something so much that they don't take the necessary precautions to prevent the outcome they believe will happen. In essence they fulfill the prophecy they came up with simply because they believed it would happen." The assassin glanced over at the prince and found him stone-faced and pale. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Thor?"

"Such as Loki believed himself a monster, so he started to act like he believed he should." Natasha nodded once at Thor's subdued answer. Suddenly, Thor pulled himself up and out of his dark thoughts and set a determined look on his face.

"I do not care if Loki has prophesied his death on this planet. I will not leave here without him safe by my side." With that, he turned and strode further into the cave. He sat down near his brother and simply listened to the conversation. Natasha watched this and sighed.

"He's not giving up on him, is he?" Natasha shook her head at Cap's question. Steve stared ahead at the small group some feet away then looked over at Clint sitting in a dark corner.

"He's brooding. He'll get over it. But should we be worried that Thor will blow the plan to protect Loki?" Steve finally dragged his eyes away from his pouting teammate and tilted his head to the side, considering.

"That's a possibility, but it could also push Thor to fight harder and get us off this planet faster. Thor's a big guy with a big heart and a big temper. If Loki doesn't kill this thing the first chance he gets, Thor definitely will. Unfortunately, we won't know until we get in the life or death situation." Natasha smirked.

"That's the best time." Steve's eyes flicked back over to the archer and Natasha sighed again. "Clint's not happy about any of this, no surprise there. But he's seeing what I'm seeing, and that's making him more angry." Cap raised a brow.

"Oh? And what are you two seeing?" Natasha stared forward at the other group until Steve did the same.

"That's not the same Loki that attacked Earth."

* * *

"So, it's like another being your creating? You create a new person?" Loki grit his teeth together. Trying to explain Asgardian magic to the two Midgardian scientists was as exciting as it was frustrating.

"No. The clone is not a separate being itself; it has a modicum of ability to think ahead and act as I would in a situation. It is like taking a part of my soul and putting a form around it, giving it shape and then setting it into motion." Tony gave him a horrified look and then started shouting.

"You make Horcruxes on a regular basis?! That is just…no! I am both horrified and completely fascinated at the same time." Bruce laughed at the look on Tony's face, while Loki scowled.

"Stark, your babbling makes less sense than usual." Tony grabbed Bruce's arm, and the other scientist pushed him over.

"Ow!" Tony, predictably, ignored him.

"Bruce! Loki doesn't know about Harry Potter! When we get back we are showing him Harry Potter!" Everything seemed to freeze then and Tony's words hung in the air.

The other Avengers looked gearing up to have an argument, while Thor took the opportunity to observe his little brother. Loki appeared calm and only mildly amused at Tony's declaration, however Thor could see the line of tension in his shoulders. The Trickster was waiting for the likely outburst to come, and was bracing himself. There was something else in his brother's demeanor that concerned Thor. The brief glimpses he was able to catch of Loki's eye showed glimmers of resignation and….something that spoke of a captain lost at sea. Someone very uncertain of their course, yet knowing they can not possibly fight the gale they are caught in.

After some time, Loki collected himself and raised an eyebrow.

"And what makes you think I would ever be interested in this 'Harry Potter'?" Tony didn't miss a beat.

"Magic! Duh!"

That started a whole new discussion on what true magic is versus Midgard's portrayal of it. Thor soon found his cheeks smarting from how long he had been smiling. To see his brother so engaged was….a joy. It made him even more determined to ensure they all leave the planet alive and well. Suddenly, an irritated growl erupted from Hawkeye.

"If you are done arguing over children's books, maybe we could go scout now?" Loki scowled at the archer, but the suns were indeed higher in the sky and it was perhaps as safe as it ever would be.

"Very well. Romanoff, Barton and Stark will come with me. Stark, you will leave your suit here as it will only weigh you down and you will need it for our later…engagement. If any of you touch anything as the Captain did before I will leave you to die." With that, Loki strode out of the cave without waiting to see if they were following.

"Be careful, Stark." Tony smirked at Steve and patted his arm as he past by.

"Don't trust me, Cap?" The assassins left without a word, and soon only Steve, Thor and Bruce were left.

"Your brother is…." Thor turned to the doctor and could only nod as the man trailed off.

"Yes. Loki…I have never fully understood him, for all that we grew up side by side. The one thing I do know is that he has always had a thirst for knowledge, and he can't stand those who value physical strength over intelligence." Steve wandered over to sit with them.

"From what you've told us of Asgard, I can imagine that made things hard for him." Thor's lips pursed and he slowly nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. I was blind to his harassment for centuries and am sad to say, looking back, I myself participated in it. Loki tried so hard as a child to keep up and take interest in what the rest of us did, but he was ridiculed for his failure one too many times, and he simply gave up."

"That doesn't mean he stopped caring though." Thor inclined his head in acknowledgement of the doctor's observation.

"No. He just became better at hiding behind his masks. Though he will deny it till Ragnarok falls, the reason he learned how to wield his words so harshly was due to the way they pierced him as he grew up. Mother made me aware of this, last we spoke, and I can see it all the more clearly with each minute we are together." Silence fell, and no one spoke for a few minutes.

"Thor…if we all get out of here…what will happen to Loki?" Steve did not consider Loki a friend (and perhaps never would) but he had seen another side of the man, one that forced him to feel a modicum of concern for him. He certainly knew what Fury would do if Loki came back to Earth.

"We _will_ all leave this planet. I… I do not know what the All-father will decree when we return to Asgard. But I will do all in my power to make him see all that Loki has done to aid us all." They could all hear the undertone of uncertainty in Thor's voice but did not comment.

"Well…if anyone knows about second chances, it's all of us. Loki would probably protest at first, but I'm sure Tony would happily put him up in the Tower." Steve opened his mouth to protest, but Banner cut him a look.

"He's smart, Steve, and he grew up in a culture where he was ridiculed for it. He didn't have any sort of healthy outlet, and as soon as a crack hit his shield he shattered. Then he endured severe torture before finally giving in and attacking Earth. _That_ man is not the same that attacked us. This Loki is different…and he deserves a second chance." Steve stayed quiet, while Thor positively beamed. Bruce snorted.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure Tony's already adopted him."

* * *

**So, yeah. Short, but I actually wrote something! We should be getting back to a regular schedule of updates! Yay! :)**

**Anyway, review por favor! **


	13. Chapter 13

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 12

**Hello Dearies. :) I have come with a new chapter! Please enjoy.**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A QUOTE FROM TOM HIDDLESTON! Bonus points if you can find it ;)**

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst.**

**Don't Move...**

It was times like this that Loki severely wished for his eye back. With only one, he had a hard time keeping watch for danger and Stark. The man was impossible to keep on track. When the inventor picked something else up off of the ground for the fifth time that _wasn't_ what they were looking for, Loki had half a mind to let Hawkeye shoot the man. While the Trickster understood that Stark was simply channeling his curiosity and intelligence after being cooped up for days in a cave, he had had enough.

"Stark, you will cease your pestering and touch only what we need. _These_ berries and _these _plants. If that is too difficult for you, you can return to the cave now." Tony looked ready to argue but when faced with three identical glares, he threw his arms up in surrender.

"Fine, fine! _These _berries and _these _plants." Loki nodded sharply and they continued. They each had their own little improvised pouches that Loki made from broad leaves. Their mission had been a success to that point, however Loki was on edge. The jungle seemed too quiet.

"So, any big plans when we get out of here, Rock of Ages? Gonna get your hair done? Maybe spruce up the eye patch? Get a new Stick of Destiny?" Loki rolled his eye and continued to quickly gather the needed supplies.

"Oh, haven't you heard? I will invade Midgard once more and then bring Ragnarok down on all the nine realms." Clint froze, but Tony chuckled.

"I knew it!" Loki smirked at the archer, who scowled in return. Tony laughed again, while Natasha rolled her eyes. They gathered the rest of the supplies in silence, and soon all of their pouches were full and they were ready to return to the cave.

Loki was turning to make sure they were all paying attention and following him, when he saw something. A _very_ large spider was slowly floating down on a string of web…directly over Barton's head. It looked much like Romanoff's namesake, though about thirty times larger.

"Barton, do not move." The archer opened his mouth to protest, but Natasha interrupted.

"Clint. Don't. Just stay still." Hawkeye held up his hands in surrender and froze. Tony's face was contorting in disgust and curiosity, but he kept his mouth shut for once. Slowly, Loki drew his knife, keeping his eye on the spider. Barton's eyes widened as Loki drew his arm back preparing to throw the weapon. Just when the spider was about to drop onto the archer, and Clint finally caught a brief glimpse of long spindly legs, Loki struck.

The knife buried deep into the spider's abdomen, knocking it back away from Barton and into the base of a tree. They all approached it slowly, with caution, to see if it was dead. The creature twitched a few times before curling up into a ball, dead.

"When did GIGANTIC SPIDERS become a thing you don't tell us about?!" Loki counted to ten in his head before yanking his knife out of the spider and standing.

"Since they are encountered so rarely as to nearly be a non-event. Congratulations, Barton. You are 'statistically significant'." With that he walked away. Tony was beaming and following.

"I taught him that." Nat patted Clint's shoulder and they turned away from the spider to follow Loki.

Tony caught up to the Trickster and matched the man's pace. Loki scowled at him, but did not snap at him to go away. Tony took this as permission to speak.

"Besides 'realm domination', any _other_ plans after this place? I mean there's got to be something you actually _want_ to do." Loki pursed his lips and did not answer. Tony saw something flash across the other man's face that he knew all too well. "We _are_ going to leave this place. All of us." Loki snorted and rolled his eye.

"You are far too optimistic and whimsical, Mr. Stark. It does not become you." Tony shrugged.

"Maybe. But I also know your brother, and Thor's not going to leave this place without you." A growl came from deep in Loki's throat, and Tony was reminded of the story Thor told of Loki transforming into a wolf.

"Thor is a sentimental fool." The inventor pressed his luck and grabbed Loki's arm to stop him.

"And why is that such a bad thing?!" Loki's glare could have seared a hole through Tony's head, but the man continued and did not let Loki go. "Why is it so bad that someone actually cares about you? You keeping pushing him away even though out of everyone in the universe, you probably need a hug the most." Finally, Loki wrenched his arm free. He gritted his teeth, sure that the assassins were laughing at him.

"You know not of what you speak, Man of Iron. You will cease-"

"No, I will not. Your daddy issues are a freaking mile wide but your brother _loves_ you and you won't even let him near you even though you so obviously want to! I can't imagine what your mother-" Tony had pushed just a little too far. Loki's hand had whipped out so fast, Tony didn't even have time to brace himself before long fingers were wrapped tightly around his throat.

Behind him, Clint had his bow drawn, but Natasha put out a hand, signaling for him to not shoot. Tony was getting through to Loki, and an arrow in the other eye was not going to help. Barton yielded but kept the arrow notched. Meanwhile,

"Go ahead. Find a window to throw me through; I dare you. That's not going to change the fact that I'm right." Loki felt a very strong desire to take Stark up on his offer. He tightened his fingers briefly…before dropping his hand away completely. The black-haired man scowled and stomped off without a word. Tony watched, allowing Loki to create some distance, before he moved to follow.

"You thought discussing Loki's daddy issues without the suit on was a good idea?" Tony scoffed.

"Of course not." He gingerly pushed a giant leaf out of the way, letting it fly back into Clint's face. "All of my ideas are brilliant."

* * *

Loki was starting to greatly regret his decision to ally himself with the Avengers, no matter how temporary the situation. He was perfectly content with their hatred of him, but all because some damn poison showed him vulnerable and _weak_ they sought his 'redemption'. It was quite clear what Stark was trying to do, but Loki refused to yield. He would not be turned into another puppet, this time one that was a loyal friend of the Midgardian heroes and who loved his big, strong _golden_ brother with all his heart. The very thought made him sick to his stomach. _Sentiment!_

Luckily they made it back to the cave without further incident. At least, he did not hear any of those behind him screaming in agony, so he could only assume they were all there and in one piece. They had gathered enough supplies to last them through the rest of their _planned_ time on the planet. As long as he continued to ration as he did, all would be fine. Though…if he killed off one of the Midgardians that would- No. He could not. For all that he was a monster, he was a monster that kept his word.

The three left behind quickly shot up when he returned. Steve looked ready to yell at him, when he saw the rest of the party come through the trees. Another glance told all three of the tension Stark had stirred up.

"We have the supplies. We can leave at dawn tomorrow." He cast a small spell that gathered everything they had all collected together into one enlarged pouch. Loki scowled when even such a simple spell exhausted him, but he did not show his weakness. Thor came up and clapped him on the shoulder, nearly toppling him over.

"I am glad your expedition was successful. I take it you did not encounter anything too vicious on your journey." Loki recognized Thor's attempt at drawing out stories from him. The oaf was bored and was waiting for Loki to entertain him, not that Loki would indulge such a-

"Loki saved Clint's life from the biggest spider I've ever seen," Tony blurted out. Barton snorted and Tony smirked at the archer. "Please. That thing would have bitten your head off before you could draw a bow." Steve gave him a look of appreciation, while Bruce smiled pleasantly. Loki raised a brow at the strange interplay he was witnessing. He was unused to someone…_defending _him.

Unfortunately, now Thor was engaged. His blue eyes brightened at the prospect of a tale, and he settled in.

"This spider was large you say? Pray, Man of Iron, how did my br- _Loki _defeat it?" Thor's eyes skidded over to the Trickster and though the younger man scowled at him, he did not comment on his slip of the tongue.

Clint did not join the others who gathered round Tony and Thor to hear the story. Natasha sat back ready to interject should Stark mess up, but also to perhaps play Loki up a bit. She could not deny that he would be a powerful ally to keep. Natasha could see that Loki was a man that rarely cared about anything, but when he did, he cared about it fiercely and protected it to the end. That also meant he could be a very dangerous enemy. Best to keep him closer to one extreme than the other. If that meant feeding his ego a bit, than she would do it.

"Well we had just finished getting everything we needed, _these _plants and _these_ berries." Bruce, Steve and Thor furrowed their brows at Tony's tone, but Loki bit down on a snort. He was sitting against the cave wall, eye closed and feigning disinterest. Though really, they were discussing him; why would he not listen? "We were about to head back, when Loki stopped and turned. He suddenly went very still when he looked at Legolas." The Avengers leaned in, anticipation building.

"Right over Barton's head was a spider the size of a full grown bulldog. I'm talking huge." Clint scoffed.

"It was _not_ that big." Tony looked ready to argue, but Natasha raised a brow and beat him to it.

"You didn't exactly see it before it was dead and shriveled up, Clint. It was big." Loki cracked his eye open at the exchange and narrowed it at the assassin. What was she playing at? Tony meanwhile, smiled in thanks to the woman and continued.

"So, Loki told Legolas not to move and slowly reached for his knife. Natasha had to tell the idiot again not to move, because he just can't listen the first time." This time Loki let the snort out and smirked at the archer scowling at him. Once everyone's attention was back on Tony he continued.

"Then, before I could even blink, Loki's thrown his knife and hit the thing dead center." Natasha felt the need to add to it.

"The creature flew a good twenty feet after the hit too." Loki could admit, while the Midgardians' story telling lacked finesse, it did cut him a good figure. Suddenly he found himself wrapped up in Thor's arm, squeezed into the crown prince's chest.

"You were always the better shot, Loki. Hit the bullseye every time we trained." Loki rolled his eye and weakly pushed the man's meaty arm off of him.

"Yes, well. You still won the tournaments because you managed to obliterate the entire target." Though there was a trace of bitterness in the words, it had nowhere near the usual amount of venom. Loki didn't look at Thor and missed the bright smile that crossed the man's face. He did not, however, miss Tony's smug little grin that pointed out how close he was still sitting to the blond man.

This led Loki to push farther from Thor and settle back away from him again. He refused to let the foolish Midgardian believe he was right. The man's ego was far to big for his small body.

Loki was surprised when he was approached by Steve Rogers. The blond man gave him a small smile and held out a hand.

"Thanks for looking after my team out there." Loki raised a brow at the proffered hand and did not touch it.

"I was simply holding up my end of the bargain." Steve did not drop his hand and shook his head.

"Whatever you say, I don't like them going out into such hostile territory where I can't help, and you brought them back safe." Seeing that the man would not leave him be if he did not engage in his Midgardian gratitude, Loki begrudgingly shook the Captain's hand.

"You say that like we can't take care of ourselves," Tony called. Loki scoffed.

"You, Stark? Of course not. Without your Miss Potts, Jarvis or Dr. Banner you would have starved long ago." Tony's mouth fell open at the blatant, _nice_ teasing, while Bruce laughed.

"Told you, Tony. You're not as self-sufficient as you like to believe." Stark turned to argue with his friend and Loki watched with a soft ache in his chest. He supposed this was what sentiment felt like.

* * *

**See! Loki's a good guy. :) PS I decided it would be a good idea to look up pictures of the world's largest spider just for some basic reference...yeah. No. Not a good idea. I HATE SPIDERS!**

**Anyway, review por favor!**


	14. Chapter 14

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 13

**Hi! I got some lovely reviews this week and just wanted to say thank you so much! Here's another chapter to show my appreciation :)**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. **

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst. SO MANY FEELS IN THIS CHAPTER!**

**Kindling **

It seemed even more difficult to avoid Thor than ever before. Loki swore the cave had gotten smaller, since he could not get away from the brute. Thor had taken Tony's story of Loki killing the giant spider as blanket permission to tell his own stories of Loki. The Trickster had settled in, expecting to merely hear stories of Thor's great exploits where Loki showed up in the background. Instead, Thor told those stories that Loki had heard thousands of times, but the crown-prince gave Loki the main stage in each.

The Trickster found himself blatantly staring at his bro- _Thor_ as the blond oaf spoke. More than once he caught Tony giving him a pointed look, forcing him to scowl and look away. He rubbed the heel of his hand against his chest, a warm feeling growing deep within. It unnerved him greatly, and as his throat slowly tightened, Loki went over every plant he could have touched on their scouting trip.

Thor eventually roped Steve into telling old war stories, and Loki took the exit. He wandered to just outside the cave, barely brushing against the spell boundaries. Loki was unsurprised but irritated when he heard someone approach him from behind.

"Stark, if you have come to blather at me again, I _will_ find a window." There was no reply, but the person came to stand beside him.

"Did Tony try to do 'Stark Therapy' again?" Loki's brow lifted and his scowl relaxed upon finding it was Bruce Banner next to him. It took a moment for the man's words to sink in, but they did eventually and Loki's head jerked in a nod.

"Yes, I would equate his uninformed speech with Midgardian attempts to fix things with their words." There was a moment of silence and then,

"Except most of what he said was probably true, which is why you threatened to throw him out a window again." Loki's jaw dropped for a moment, before he got his face back under his control. _Become temporary allies and Midgardians think they understand everything about you and can 'fix you'!_ When the Trickster turned to scowl at the doctor, he was surprised to find the man giving him a small smile.

"Trust me. I know. I've been living and working with Tony for a while now and he's tried his 'therapy' on me many times. It's the main reason why he's so well acquainted with the Other Guy." Loki continued to stare at the shorter man trying to piece together his jumbled thoughts. "But the reason I would get so angry…" Here Bruce turned to face Loki full on. "Was because he was right more often than not." Loki was…not pleased with that conclusion.

"And you just…allowed him to harass you with his 'therapies'?" Bruce chuckled and shook his head.

"Well…It's Tony. It's not like I could really stop him from talking." Loki's face became considering as he thought of many ways to stop the Midgardian from speaking. Bruce's face took on a disapproving look as he knew exactly what Loki was thinking about. "Loki, you can't tell me that everything he said was wrong. Tony is very smart and actually pretty observant when it comes to other people. Just…think about it. You don't have to deal with any of it yet, but we will be off this planet at some point, and I can guarantee you, Thor will be attached to you at the hip."

Loki growled at the thought and Bruce left without another word. While the doctor had not 'adopted' Loki quite like Stark had, he found himself…drawn to the man in a sense. He was like a mixture of the Other Guy and Dr. Banner: really smart, but really angry and showing it. Besides, and this had surprised Dr. Banner the most when they first arrived, Loki hadn't smelled like crazy from moment one. The man they met when they first landed was most definitely _not_ the one they had met on Earth and Bruce had long ago determined that this was a good thing.

The doctor inclined his head to the other Avengers, knowing they watched the interaction between himself and Loki. Tony had a smug look on his face, at which Bruce rolled his eyes.

"You were convincing him that I'm awesome and totally know what I'm talking about, weren't you?" Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Definitely not the first one. The second one, I said you tend to be right _more often than not_. That doesn't mean he's accepted it, so don't get ahead of yourself." There was a scoff off to his left which unsurprisingly came from Clint.

"Please. He know's Stark was right, which is why he got so pissed off. I could have told him the same things, but I don't actually care about him so why bother." Thor's head was going back and forth as though he were watching a tennis match. _So they have spoken some truth to my brother which he did not wish to hear? That is…not unusual._

"What, pray tell, did you say to Loki to make him irritated?" Hawkeye rolled his eyes and sat down across from the Thunderer.

"Stark simply informed him of his oh-so-obvious daddy issues. Tried to tell him it was okay to have feelings and blah blah blah." Natasha pinched Clint's arm until the archer swatted at her for her to let go. Tony waved his hands about gesturing at nothing in particular.

"It was going so well too, until I brought up his mom." Thor's face went from bemused to understanding and a bit sad.

"Ah. That…I am not surprised. Loki and our mother were very close. She cultivated his learning of magic and she was the one he went to when he was in need of comfort. I myself followed after the Allfather." Thor sighed and looked out of the cave at his brother standing all alone. "Our mother might be the only reason Loki would ever consider returning to Asgard." A quiet understanding settled over the whole group then.

Thor stood.

"I must go speak with him," but Steve put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, Thor. Just…let him be for now. He's needs time." Despite how much Thor wanted to throw off the Captain's hand and go to his brother, he could see that the man was right. Loki needed to be alone and think. If Thor pressed his presence upon him now, he might lose him for good.

* * *

It was near dark before Loki returned to sit inside the cave. The others had all taken a small portion of food, leaving plenty for Loki. Tony had observed before how little Loki had taken when compared to what he gave the rest of them and mentioned it. Thor wasn't surprised, but if Tony wasn't mistaken, there was a subtle shift in Clint's eyes. It looked a smidgen like respect but Tony wasn't sure whether Clint would ever actually get to that point and so decided not to label it.

So, when Loki returned to find a larger than normal portion of food set aside, he raised a brow and ignored it, assuming it to be for someone else. He tried to scowl when Thor came to sit next to him but was too tired to manage.

"Loki, you must eat. You will do no good to anyone should you fall over from not eating." Loki snorted.

"You sound like Mo- the Allmother." Thor gave a small smile at the comparison and stood to gather the food. Once he settled again, he passed it over to Loki.

"Then I must sound very wise indeed." Thor caught his brother's surprised look at the amount of food his received before Loki schooled his features. "You will need your strength for tomorrow, when you are to kill the monster that brought us all here." Loki shot Thor a suspicious look before giving in and eating his portion. For the first time since he had been on the planet, he felt his hunger satisfied.

Thor sat in silence beside him and simply relaxed against the cave wall while his brother ate his fill. The God of Thunder allowed his thoughts to conjure up fanciful images: he and his brother entering the Throne Room side by side and greeting their mother and father; his brother at his side as they go hunting and possibly get into trouble; Thor bothering Loki as he read a book until Loki got fed up and turned Thor's hair green, causing Thor to cry out in despair and Loki to laugh at him. It had been so long since Thor had heard Loki truly laugh.

"You no doubt miss your Midgardian Lady. Unless…you have…moved on." Thor's head popped up and he could not help but stare at Loki with both brows raised in shock. Loki…was making idle conversation with him. Thor nearly pinched himself to make sure he was awake. When it became clear that Loki was growing impatient waiting for a response, Thor was quick to comply.

"No, no. I have not 'moved on' from Jane. Lady Foster and I have met on several occasions these past few months for Midgardian 'dates'. However she is very busy with her research and I with my duties as an Avenger." Loki's face was neutral and Thor could not tell if he was interested in anything that he was saying.

"I see. And the Allfather approves of your new found compassion for the Midgardians? He does not see your…_Avenging_ as interfering with your duties to Asgard?" Thor winced. It had in fact been quite a 'bone of contention', as the Captain would say, between the Allfather and himself. The King of Asgard was starting to no longer appreciate Thor's sense of duty to Earth.

"Odin…I believe he thought it only a passing fancy of mine. He was pleased with me at first for taking such initiative and extending a peace treaty with another realm, even though it is Midgard. However, now he is starting to become…unpleased with my prolonged absence. He does not understand why I am staying with them and helping them. It is like I am disappointing him by caring about something other than Asgard and becoming king." Thor was a bit startled by the sudden bark of laughter from Loki.

"Yes, well…the Allfather raised you to be a perfect little Odin, and now you are deviating from that path…and he doesn't appreciate it. You are going to have to get used to being a disappointment if you want to live your own life, Thor."

"Is that what you did? I-I mean…Loki, I am sorry. I am not saying-" Loki closed his eye and took a deep breath through his nose. He curbed his anger, trying to prove himself a better man by not killing Thor. He…he wanted to give them a chance. They weren't brothers anymore…but they could be, but this time as who they really were not who they were pretending to be.

"I continued with my magic, despite the Allfather's disapproval because it was the one thing I was great at, better than any of you. I thought…I thought if I could just show him how good I was…he would change his mind…that he would look at me. I only realized too late how foolish and childish it was to believe that I could make him see me as a worthy son by trying to be exactly what he wanted me to be. When I found out…that he is not my father, that we are not brothers, everything made perfect sense." Thor's heart ached for his little brother, knowing how much Loki despised being born a Jotun.

"Loki, I cannot take back the things I have done to hurt or degrade you. I cannot take back my previous words and actions against the people of Jotunheim, but I can assure you that I truly regret all of it. I also want you to know that I think no less of you for not being my blood brother; I still see you as Loki, the little boy I grew up with." Loki would not look at him, and Thor laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder. The crown prince decided to take a risk by saying his next words.

"Mother misses you." Loki nearly cast a small burning spell to get Thor to remove his hand, but his heart had cracked at the last sentence uttered and he could not muster up enough anger to propel the spell. If Loki was ever pressed to confess what could make him return to Asgard, he would have to say the Allmother. No matter how far he pushed the memories and feelings away, no matter how hard he tried to _hate_ all of them, Loki could never hate Lady Frigga. She truly was the only reason Loki had not succumbed to the darkness inside of him long before he learned of his true heritage.

And maybe that was what had hurt the most when he found out he was not born from the Allmother's womb. His relationship with Odin only became clearer; his relationship to Thor cracked and Loki just finally released all that he felt. It wasn't as if Thor _knew_ and that was why he was treated as he was. But Lady Frigga…the Allmother…_his_ mother, she had loved him dearly. She had raised him to be proud of his magic and affinity for learning rather than fighting. She did not scorn him for his actions and recognized (in private) his achievements when Odin would not. And she _knew_. She knew all along what he was, and yet that did not stop her from loving him.

When Loki had found out he was more hurt by the thought that he was not related to the Allmother than he was by his lack of shared blood with the mighty and powerful Odin. He feared that she would scorn him now that he knew, but instead…she explained why they had not told him the truth…and loved him still.

"I hate to break up this lovely chat you two must be having, but Loki, we need to go over what's going to happen tomorrow." Loki shook his head to get his thoughts back on track and looked up at Natasha.

"Yes. I will be with you in a moment." Natasha stared at the two of them for another moment before walking to just outside the mouth of the cave. Loki and Thor both stood and suddenly found themselves in an awkward situation. Neither of them knew what to do, before Loki took the initiative and reached out a hand. Thor beamed like he was given the best gift in the world. They clasped wrists, parted ways and felt the rekindling of brotherhood.

* * *

**Lots of deep talking here. (I also notice that when I write when I'm tired or really excited I tend to mix up 'here' and 'hear'. I hate catching that later! -_-)**

**Please review! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 14

**So I've noticed I've got a nasty habit of subconsciously stalling when I'm reaching the end of a story. It's like I don't want it to end so I throw in a bunch of deep thinking and character introspection and intense conversations. But don't worry! This story still has a good number of chapters to go! :)**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. **

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst. SO MANY FEELS IN THIS CHAPTER!**

**Midgardians and Their Sentiment**

"Looked like you and Thor were getting cozy." Loki raised an eyebrow at the assassin.

"Are we really going to discuss that right now? I believe we have much more important things to talk about at the moment." Natasha stared at him for a few moments, until Loki felt duly uncomfortable, before she nodded and they moved on.

They easily fell into the discussion, both knowing what had to be done and both knowing that no one else was going to like it. It would be hard to keep Clint from murdering Loki, but it wasn't like the Trickster cared. He smirked when he felt the archer in question glaring at his back and gave him a jaunty wave. It only earned him a scowl, but it was fun winding the man up.

"You will lose the other eye, if you keep that stuff up." Loki scoffed. It wasn't like he would have to worry about that for long. "You'll also have to worry about how Thor is going to react when he realizes you don't intend to make it off of this planet." That made Loki's head whip around.

"You would not dare-" Natasha raised an eyebrow at Loki's anger.

"You really think he won't notice, or figure out for himself, when you jump in front of a bullet or fall into a trap and urge him to leave without you? And you actually think he would leave? I don't know how he was before, but the Thor I know would never do that. He's changed." Loki looked over at the man in question and bit back a sigh. The assassin watched as his expression settled into carefully neutral.

"He has changed, a great deal. Fate continues to mock me, as when I am going to play my last trick on him, he has finally grown eyes and a brain to be able to figure it out." Loki didn't mention Thor's heart. The big oaf had always had a heart, but since Midgard it seemed to have grown considerably softer and larger, large enough to affect his eyesight.

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Loki Thor knows would not give up so easily." Loki bristled.

"You would call me a coward, Agent Romanoff?" Natasha barely twitched.

"Not at all. What I see is something I've seen countless times before: a man who's been through so much pain and injustice and betrayal that resigning himself to a certain end seems like the best option. It's not cowardice but it is giving up and assuming defeat." Loki narrowed his eyes at the Midgardian woman.

"Oh? And what would you suggest I do?" Natasha looked him dead straight in the eye.

"Fight." Without another word, she got up and walked away.

* * *

Clint was less than pleased. He was quite unhappy as a matter of fact. To say more, he was pissed. Loki had saved his life, and despite everything the man had done to him, Clint couldn't stop the automatic feeling of being in debt. Clint hated feeling like he owed people. It was like a noose that slowly tightened around his neck until he payed the person back.

It wasn't an issue when it was someone like Phil Coulson or Nick Fury. In fact he had already repaid those debts and was only sticking around because he liked what he did. But this…to be in Loki's debt? He _despised _it. It didn't help that it seemed everyone else was enamored with the 'god'. They didn't know him like Clint did. They hadn't had their wills ripped out of them and twisted up in knots before being shoved back in.

The man does one good deed and he's suddenly a saint? No way.

Clint glared at the man. It was all he seemed able to do anymore. He watched Bruce talk to him. The doctor seemed to be giving Loki some advice. Clint watched closely for any signs of green on Banner's skin…but none came. The man seemed as calm as could be…he even laughed! Loki on the other hand, was scowling as always.

Barton watched from the corner of his eye as Loki remained outside until the suns started to set. If he didn't know any better he would say the 'god' was pouting. The Avengers had left Loki a portion of food to eat, but Clint was getting frustrated. If Loki didn't come in and eat it, then Clint would…just to show him. However, just as Clint was getting ready to snatch the food away, Loki returned.

He watched as Loki then had a civilized conversation with Thor, and something finally clicked in Clint's mind. The soft, non-biting tone, and slight slump of his shoulders told Barton that Loki was resigned. The 'god' had given up. He looked like a man on death row who had long since accepted the fact that he was going to die. It didn't take much to make the next deductive leap.

It made Clint growl. How dare he!? First he saves Clint from the spider, forcing the archer into a debt. Then he's just going to let himself get killed before Barton can get out of that debt. Loki was screwing with him _again! _Well, no. Not this time. This time, Clint would do what he had to while screwing Loki up. He would make sure Loki made it off this planet alive, and that would fulfill any obligations he has.

Clint smirked to himself at his own genius before going back to glare at the Trickster.

* * *

Loki was done with presumptuous Midgardians who thought they could simply walk in, say a few sentences that drowned in sentiment and that would fix everything. They knew _nothing_. His stomach derailed his train of thought by twisting and demanding food. Loki growled and stomped over to the larger-than-normal portion and dropped himself down in front of it.

He would not be made a fool of by a bunch of mere mortals. They would not alter the course of his life by dropping a few pretty words in his ears. He refused to be cowed. Loki could feel Thor's gaze on him and it made him scowl all the more.

It was true he had tried to…make amends, perhaps. Loki was seeking to offer his- his _once-brother_ some closure. If he gave himself time to think about it, which he would not do, Loki would probably say that that would have been the cruelest thing he had ever done. He gave Thor a taste of a familial bond and built up the man's hope, knowing that he would not be alive the next night.

He haphazardly waved a hand to summon a fire for the others behind him. It had finally gotten dark enough for one. That one burst of magic, combined with the emotional hammering he had received that day, was enough to drain him physically. Without another glance at any of the Avengers, Loki settled down and passed out.

* * *

Thor was deeply pleased upon seeing Loki eating. He and the others were not blind to the fact that his brother gave them larger rations of food. Thor was also not blind that some of his friends were deliberately trying to be-friend his brother, or at least soften Loki to them. Tony's attempts seemed to be out of decency and curiosity, while Natasha's was much more strategic. Dr. Banner's appeared to be bred out of sincere concern and care and forgiveness. It made Thor's heart warm, knowing that his team was slowly coming around.

The one person, besides Barton quite obviously, who Thor had not seen get closer to his brother was the Captain. It had surprised Thor at first, knowing Steve to be a very kind, generous person. However, it made more sense when he really thought about it.

In all honesty it took the Captain a long time to trust someone, but when he did he cared for them fiercely. Steve would lay down his life for any one of his teammates as he had finally come to trust them all. However, Steve did not trust Loki, which was entirely understandable. Thor's brother had attacked Earth with the intent of conquering it. Even though they had learned that Loki was being coerced and was greatly tortured before he gave in, it did not assuage Steve's concerns.

It made Thor worried for when they returned to Asgard. If one of the kindest men he had ever met would not forgive his brother, what would his father do? Would Loki be safer going elsewhere rather than going home with Thor? The crown-prince shook his head. Their mother would stand for Loki as would he. Loki would not be alone; he would know that there are those at home that still care for and love him. Thor had long since learned that Lady Sif and the Warriors Three were not amongst those that cared for Loki, and while that burned, Loki knew there were others in Asgard. He would prove it to Loki, when they all went home.

* * *

Steve was the first one to wake up the next morning, or, at least he thought he was. He stood and stretched out the kinks that naturally came from sleeping on a cave floor. As he surveyed his team all in various unconscious positions, his eyes came across Loki, wide awake and staring out at the slowly brightening sky. If Loki heard him wake up, he didn't acknowledge it.

The expression on Loki's face was one Steve was intimately familiar with. It was a deep set tiredness that fell onto every soldier at one point or another. It was a resignation to the inevitable; it was taking in the last sunrise you would ever see. All of his Howling Commandos had worn that expression. Steve should have known what was going to happen when he saw the expression on Bucky's face the morning they were going to zip line onto a moving train.

The Captain nearly growled at himself for comparing Bucky to Loki. Bucky was a hero; he had a heart of gold and was the strongest man Steve had ever known. He was his best friend and brother. No, Loki was not Bucky. He was a man so twisted by circumstance and his own experiences that he didn't believe in things like kindness and love and sentiment existed or could ever be applied to himself. He was a man that…_Dammit_!, a man that needed a second chance and a group of support willing enough to give it to him, but strong enough to stop him should he revert back to his blackened, damaged self.

Steve would readily admit that the Loki they had been dealing with since they showed up on the planet was not the same crazed Trickster that attacked Earth, yet neither was he the same, bright young man Thor told stories about. He was somewhere in between.

His teammates were slowly coming to life around him, and Loki finally moved from his position. The Trickster turned his head and met Steve's gaze. The determination in them was enough to make the Captain stand a little taller.

"Ugh…five more minutes, JARVIS." Off to his right he heard a snort, followed by a smack, quickly followed by a yelp from Tony.

"That was uncalled for, Natasha! Bad assassin!" Steve rolled his eyes and Loki smirked at whatever he was seeing behind the Captain.

"If she had not done it, Stark, I would have. It is time to gather whatever you can. We will be leaving as soon as the first sun rises." Loki stood then and grabbed the large pouch of supplies. He checked that his knife was secure on his arm, and then waited for the others to get ready. It didn't take long at all, but Tony took a few moments getting his suit compacted enough for him to carry again.

Once they were all standing in the mouth of the cave, Loki motioned them forward. They felt the protective wards washing over them. Loki was the last to leave and as soon as he stepped completely away, the cave rumbled before collapsing in on itself. The Avengers stared at Loki in question and suspicion.

"We are no longer in need of the structure and I simply released the magic holding it all together."

"Are you telling me you could have done that at any time?" Loki rolled his eye at the inventor's accusing question.

"It seems you are hard of hearing, Stark. Yes, I could have walked out and pulled the magic surrounding the cave and left you in their to be crushed. But I have not. Let us _move on_." No one else commented so Loki moved to the front of the group to lead them on.

The strangest thing about the jungle was the quiet. There were no bugs buzzing or tree frogs chirping or snakes slithering. Sounds were rarely heard beyond the steps of each of the party and occasional curses from Tony after he tripped over something.

Loki did not say a word to any of them. He did not even look back to ensure that they had all of their party present. The Trickster demeanor was starting to unnerve some of them. Everyone expect for Natasha. She walked behind him the entire time, also never saying a word. While both of them were silent, it seemed as if they were having a conversation the entire time, with the occasional glance and head tilt. It got Thor's attention and made Steve suspicious and made Clint burn holes in the back of Loki's head.

Then the shooting started.

* * *

**Soooooo...this was a cliffhanger...Don't kill me! Tune back in next Saturday for more!**

**Please review! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 15

**This chapter was really hard for me to get out for some reason. I just couldn't put words to what I wanted to happen next. :/ Hope you like this though!**

**And to one of my favorite reviewers, I hope you get your laptop back soon! I understand how frustrating that can be.**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. **

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst. SO MANY FEELS IN THIS CHAPTER!**

**IT**

Tony had been lost in a sea of calculations in his head, when the giant leaf _next to _his head was blasted apart into a million tiny pieces. It was like someone had reached the final lap on Mario Kart, because suddenly they were off, running as fast as they could.

The assassins and Steve looked like they wanted to turn and shoot It, but to do so would mean to land flat on your face while running and potentially taking out everyone behind you. So, they all just ran. It hadn't hit any of them yet, that Tony could tell, making the inventor think that was the point. The shots would hit on either side of their party without going through any body parts.

It was herding them somewhere. Since there really wasn't much they could do about that, they continued running. Suddenly there was yelling up ahead and Tony just heard the words "Get Down!" Bruce next to him dragged him down to the ground so fast, Tony's teeth slammed together on the impact.

A familiar buzzing filled the air and one glance up and the inventor saw familiar electrical beams shining above them. Instead of a fence this time it was more of a netted ceiling. Someone tugged on his arm and he was then crawling after the team. While the shooting had stopped, Tony could not help but feel that It was still behind them, waiting for one of them to slip up and stand too soon, losing their head.

The net in reality wasn't that encompassing, but it felt like it took forever to get to the other side. Loki had them remain under the net until they were all there. He looked them all in the eye, making sure they were paying attention.

"As soon as we stand It will lay siege on us once more. We might get separated. Whatever you do do not stop moving and head straight at the suns. Now!" They were up and running and everything around him was a blur. He barely looked where he was going. He kept his head down and ran straight.

Someone was just ahead and to his left, but Tony couldn't tell who it was. He heard something snap behind him and his heart skipped when the sound was followed by a cry from Natasha. Before he could even think to stop and turn around, a hand on his back shoved him forward.

"Go! Don't stop!" Tony felt like scum…but he kept running and didn't turn back.

* * *

They ran for what felt like forever, before finally they all stopped and gathered in one place. It seemed that they had all managed to run in a relatively straight line with Tony and Loki picking up the back. The first words came from Clint.

"Where's Nat?" Everyone looked around, before all eyes landed on Loki. He was standing tall, undisturbed by the news and their gazes. Tony's stomach twisted. Clint's face contorted into one of fury.

"What did you do?!" Loki rolled his eye, but before he could get out a response he found himself in the familiar position of his back against a tree and Barton's knife at his throat.

"What did you do," the archer repeated. That time the Trickster growled.

"Are you that much of an imbecile? Do words not penetrate your skull? Try and recall with your feeble mind what our original plan was. Go on." Clint scowled but he didn't press the knife any harder.

"She let herself get captured." Loki kept his eye on Barton, but scoffed at Bruce's answer.

"Brilliant deduction, Doctor Banner. At least _someone_ remembers. Unless you think your Lady Natasha too weak a fighter to prevent herself from falling into such an obvious trap." It was Clint's turn to growl and Loki held his hands up as the archer's blade dug into his skin.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you pushing her into one to save your own skin." There was a deep sigh from the Captain then.

"Barton, let Loki go. You know that's not what happened. This has been the plan from the beginning. None of us like it, but Natasha volunteered for it. She'll be fine. She can handle herself." When Clint didn't immediately lower his knife, he suddenly found himself with Thor's large hand wrapping around his wrist.

"You would do well to lower your weapon, Friend Barton. However much you dislike Loki, he is our ally in this. We will see the Lady Natasha returned to us, in this have faith." Clint grunted in frustration and _finally_ pushed away from Loki. The black haired man wiped the thin trickle of blood from his neck and smacked Thor's hand away when the blond tried to get a better look at him.

"Soooo…how far are we from this Thing's camp? It felt like we ran half a day." Tony was starting to fidget for standing so long in one place after being shot at. Then again, if It did have Natasha right then, it was probably busy bringing her back to It's place.

"It is about another hour in that direction," Loki pointed off to his right. "As we get closer to it, we must be even more cautious. The Thing has set up numerous traps around It's camp, ones that are much more likely to kill than contain." Without another word, Loki marched off.

Once Tony was behind Loki, he was able to see a pronounced limp that hadn't been there before. Thor beat him to asking about it. The Crown Prince came up beside Loki and laid a hand on his arm.

Both Barton and Loki were obviously unhappy with the delay to moving on. They were all anxious about Natasha, but if their guide could barely walk they needed to do something about it.

"Loki, you are unfit to walk in your state." Thor looked down and saw his brother's ankle swiftly turning black and blue. It was swelling at a rapid rate. "You cannot walk; I will take you." When Thor reached out to grab his brother, Loki's indignant shock turned to anger. He held his spear out directly at Thor's heart.

"You will do no such thing. We are wasting valuable time, and I can walk just fine." Thor shook his head and crossed his arms.

"You are wasting more time by arguing with me, and if you walk the entire way to the camp you will not be able to fight the monster and finish It off as you intend. Would you give away that chance simply because of your pride." It was a low blow and Loki growled loudly at Thor. His green eye skittered over the Midgardians, and Tony could see the aforementioned pride boiling at the thought of having his older brother carry him through the jungle like an invalid.

Impatience was rubbing at Loki's mind until finally he threw his hands up and lowered his spear. Thor grinned like he had won the lottery and moved to pick Loki up. However, the God of Mischief stopped him.

"Oh no. I will not be carried like some bride on her wedding night. Face that way." Understanding hit Thor's face and he turned his back on Loki. The younger man reluctantly jumped onto the other's back and wrapped his arms and legs around him. Without another word, Thor began walking in the direction Loki indicated.

Tony bit back a laugh (with some help from Bruce's elbow) and saved the image in front of him in the back of his mind.

For all that Loki fought that they weren't brothers, the two fell into the piggy back ride with practiced precision.

* * *

Natasha was hanging upside down. She did not like hanging upside down, especially when the thing that was wrapped around her ankle had teeth. Her heart was pounding out of natural adrenaline and physical exertion (and though she wouldn't admit it, a slight bit of fear and anticipation). It wasn't like this was her first time being bait or deliberately letting herself get caught, but this wasn't a typical human with a gun and goons. This was an alien of unknown origin with a habit of skinning Its prey alive.

She just hoped that Clint didn't kill Loki for not telling him what they were going to do. Instead of thinking about any of that, however, Natasha had made a show of crying out in surprise and struggling in the trap. One thing she knew was a definite across the universe, was that bad guys liked it when their prey struggled.

The others were long gone and any final shots merely lodged in thick leaves and tree trunks. This Thing was definitely playing with them.

All was quiet for a few moments, and then her trained ears picked up on lightly treading feet. It was coming up behind her and as she squirmed she was able to catch brief glimpses of It. Sweat slid back up her forehead and into her hair.

Humanoid feet in similes to boots came into her field of vision. They stopped, and Natasha could feel It's gaze on her. The Thing slowly walked around her, as if assessing her like she was a piece of meat. Which, in a way, she was. She heard the distinct sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath.

Natasha twisted her body at the last second, so she wouldn't land on her neck when the chain around her ankle was cut. The metal teeth still dug into her flesh, but at least she was on solid ground. Also, it meant that she could finally get a good look at _It._

_It_ was large. It was a few inches taller than Thor, and a bit more muscular. Its whole main body looked very human, with five fingers tipped with sharp claws on each hand. The face was a terror though: small, beady eyes above two slits for a nose. Its mouth looked like a slice across the bottom of Its face with jagged, shark-like teeth sticking out of it. Two holes on each side of Its head were what Natasha supposed were what passed as the Thing's ears and Its skin was grey and leathery in appearance. All in all, an ugly, frightening picture.

It stared at her as she lay 'helpless' on the ground, before stepping over her. Natasha had the short lived thought that It was just going to leave her there, when It grabbed the loose end of the chain and began dragging her away by the ankle. The assassin bit back a bark of pain, because though she would struggle, she refused to give the Thing the pleasure of hearing her scream…not after she had seen Its eyes.

This Thing did all of this for sport, liked seeing Its prey struggle and would not stop at anything to kill every last one of her teammates. She had known that theoretically, before she had actually seen It, but after looking into Its eyes and reading Its cold detachment made even her Russian blood run cold.

The ground scraped painfully along her back, and It didn't make any attempt whatsoever to prevent her from being dragged over large, sharp rocks or fallen logs. It even dragged her through the remains of a giant spider It had crushed underfoot. That, more than anything else from the past few days, made her want to take a long, hot shower. She didn't bother trying to keep track of where they were headed, since she knew that when they killed the Thing they would be beamed off the planet from wherever they were. At least, that's what Thor had assured them of multiple times.

What she did notice, however, as she was dragged along, was that _wherever_ they were headed, it was cold. They had all been dealing with heat and humidity since they arrived on the planet, but now as It dragged her to Its camp, the temperature had been slowly dropping like it never had before. Even three days of torrential rain hadn't done anything about the heat.

Natasha wondered if it was because of the location itself or if something else was going to happen, something that Loki forgot to mention. The assassin didn't have much more time to contemplate the drastic change, because they had finally arrived.

The camp was really just an open space with a dark pile of ask where fires were obviously built There was a large wooden pole near the fire pit, and Natasha knew she would become intimately familiar with it in the next minute or so. Even from her position, about twenty yards away, she could see the dark stains indicative of blood all around the pole, both on it and the ground.

It dragged her straight over to the post and hauled her up. The sudden change in her position caused her to feel lightheaded, and the following slam of her head and back against the pole didn't help matters. The length of chain still attached to her ankle was used to tie her securely to the post. Once that was accomplished, It seemed perfectly content to walk away and leave her to hang there, feet about three feet off of the ground. Natasha glared as the creature sat and watched the jungle.

She couldn't wait for Loki and her team to show up and kill It.

* * *

**The piggy back ride was an entirely unplanned and I absolutely love it! Let me know what you think. :)**

**Please review! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 16

**So many storms this week, practically swimming in the yard. But I got a new chapter for you! :)**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. **

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst. SO MANY FEELS IN THIS CHAPTER!**

**So Close and ****Still...**

Loki directed Thor to slow down and be prepared to stop at a moments notice as they neared It's camp. It had laid many traps around It's camp and while most were easy to spot, a few were near invisible. What didn't help was that Loki had to split his attention between where Thor laid his giant feet and whether the archer was going to lose it at the next second.

_This is why you don't get attached. Sentiment makes you sloppy and people die,_ Loki thought. No one had died yet, but Barton was going to make it as difficult as possible to keep any of them alive. Loki was impressed though, by how well the Midgardians were taking direction, even the scientists. Even on Asgard when he was leading a small group of soldiers into a battle, they would rebel in tiny ways (or simply walk off to join Thor's battalion- which was worse).

Loki had let his mind wander for a moment, which was nearly enough to get them killed. His hands grabbed bunches of Thor's hair, as if they were reins, and tugged.

"Stopstopstop!" Thor froze without question, though he grunted at the hair pulling. "Do not put your foot down. Pull it back and place it behind you. Slowly." Thor did as he was told and felt Loki relax a bit as he did. When Thor felt Loki loosen his hold, he instinctively tightened his own. His brother growled.

"Set. Me. Down." The crown prince nearly rolled his eyes at his brother's tone but once more did as he was asked. Once Loki got his feet under him, he stepped in front of Thor and slowly put out a hand. The other three Avengers gathered behind Thor to see what the Trickster was up to.

Loki's hand abruptly stopped, and the man winced. Loki kept his hand stretched out though as he began walking parallel to whatever invisible wall he was in contact with. He motioned for the others to cautiously follow him, and they made sure to stay away from the area Loki was 'feeling'. Finally the Trickster stopped at a tree twenty yards from their original position. The ground sort of fell away just beyond the tree and continued into dense brush and more trees.

Loki then turned to the Avengers around him. He seemed to stand taller then, as though he were a general addressing his troops. Given his culture and upbringing and long life, it wasn't a strange image. It seemed to fit the man standing before them: a calm, realistic leader.

"It's camp is just down this gully and past those trees. We will wait down there, but once we have reached our position no one can make a sound. We are waiting until sundown when It will be most vulnerable as It will be focussing solely on Lady Romanoff. If any of you do _anything_ to give away our positions, we will all be dead in a matter of minutes. As soon as It is dead, the shields hiding this Norn-forsaken planet will fall and Heimdall will use the Bifrost to take you home." The Trickster then looked each one of them in the eye.

"Do _not _turn into your Berserker," Loki addressed Banner. "Quell your urge to speak," he told Stark. "Despite what your gut tells you, _trust me_," Loki smirked at Rogers. "I am not going to let It kill her," Loki assured Barton. Finally, "I…I do not _completely_ hate you," he confessed to Thor. Then he turned and began his careful descent into the gully and to the trees.

Thor was left standing there torn between anger and blinding happiness. His brother spoke as if he never planned to see Thor again, which the crown prince refused to accept. Yet, this was the first time in a _long_ time that Thor felt Loki was letting him in. The others gave him irritated (Clint) or sympathetic (everyone else) glances as they passed him one by one to follow Loki.

The Crown Prince of Asgard took a moment to himself (which was not exactly smart, but that was something Loki had never accused him of being) and stared at the brush his brother just disappeared into.

Loki was resigned to and almost determined to die that night. In this matter, Thor once again found himself at odds with his brother. While he did intend to follow the plan and allow Loki to kill the creature that had brought them all there, he would fight for his brother's life. Thinking back, Thor could only wonder: if Odin ever intended for Thor to bond to Loki as much as he had, if Odin looked at Loki falling from the Bifrost as his chance to get Thor to forget about him….if Odin ever saw Loki as a second son.

Thor knows wholeheartedly that his mother loved (_loves_) Loki as her own. It was never hard to see, and if Thor was being honest, at times he was jealous of Loki's close relationship with their mother. It seemed so easy for Loki to be the perfect gentleman the Allmother wanted them to be, while Thor was more the brash warrior Odin preferred. His jealousy had led him to putting Loki down and not stopping the other children from making fun of his brother. It was childish, and it took him far, far too long to grow out of it. Now that he finally had, he wanted nothing more than to be the brother he always should have been.

He would start by making sure Loki got home safe and sound.

* * *

Natasha ground her teeth. It was a bad habit that she tried to kick multiple times. If she wore her teeth down to nothing, she would have to get surgery to fix them and that would take away from her work and yadda yadda. She'd heard it all before, but it didn't happen often. Natasha only ground her teeth when she was antsy and impatient. Having to wait for the suns to go down while being chained to a pole with the end of the chain biting into your ankle can easily cause someone to feel a bit impatient for rescue.

She was just ready to go home and take a long bath. She would shut off her phone and if anyone tried to bother her, they would get shot in the kneecaps. No one was going to ruin her 'Me Time' when she finally got back to Earth. Clint had done it before…_once_. He's let her be every time since then.

She wasn't just grinding her teeth, however. Natasha was doing what she did best: observing. The creature had simply walked away after It finished tying her up. It hadn't moved in the last hour or so that It sat watching the trees. It looked like It was waiting for something. Natasha could only hope It hadn't guessed their plan. There hadn't been much for her to gauge the intelligence of the creature. Perhaps their only advantage besides the spear was It more than likely underestimated them all.

It suddenly straightened up and stared intently into one area of brush and trees. Cocking Its head to the side, It listened for a few moments before standing. The assassin's heart pounded without her permission, as she also strained her ears to hear if something was out there, preferably her team. Without a glance at Natasha, It brought up Its gun and shot four times into the jungle.

Her heart jumped into her throat for only a moment, before she pressed it back down again. They wouldn't be so stupid as to get shot while hiding in a bush. It seemed satisfied that whatever it was, was taken care of, however, It didn't sit back down. Instead, the alien turned and walked into the jungle just to the right of where It had just shot off rounds. Natasha was left without a backwards glance, as It walked on, hunting her friends.

* * *

Clint could just hear Natasha in his head telling him how stupid he was. He wasn't denying it, but that didn't mean he didn't glare right back at Loki.

They held their breath as the shots went off, and then the archer nearly fell off of his perch as It came through the trees.

When they had followed Loki down the embankment and into the trees, Clint had been expecting to be told to lay on the ground and peek out from under the brush to watch Its camp. Instead, Loki directed them up, into the trees. No one made a peep, though they were all concerned when they had to help Bruce up into the branches. He had nearly fallen and Tony and Steve both lunged out to grab the doctor.

They had all made it eventually and slumped back against the trunks. Tony, Steve, Clint and Bruce all managed to share one large tree, while Thor stuck to Loki's side in a smaller one. The Trickster seemed _thrilled…_if his scowl was anything to go by. At least he had established the 'no talking rule' before they had gone down there.

When they were finally seated and in place, Clint started to notice the temperature change. It was almost verging on snow temperatures with the chill. Compared to the heat from before, it was like they had stepped into Russia smack in the middle of winter. It was not comfortable at all, and Barton had to clench his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering. He could see that the others, sans Loki, weren't doing much better.

To keep their mind off of the cold, small breaks in the leaves gave them a clear enough view of the camp for them to catch glimpses of It and a large wooden pole that Natasha was chained too. One look and Clint had wanted to go directly in there and kill the Thing and grab Nat. However, he knew the assassin would kill _him_ if he did.

So, he waited. He sat there and watched It sit there, and waited. It was probably worse than sitting around in the cave waiting, because at least there he knew they were still a not of a ways off from killing It. However, now It was right _there_ and Clint could only sit and watch. It was quiet. No one moved, except for the occasional readjustment when the muscles started cramping.

Then the spider came.

This was the first time Clint had seen one alive, and it was…not terrifying. He wouldn't say (admit to) that. However, it was slowly coming down from the branch above him and he was not about to have a repeat performance of the other day. He could tell when the others had spotted the gigantic arachnid, because they all tensed up immediately.

Out of the corner of his eye, Barton saw Loki motioning for him not to do anything that would give away their positions.

The the spider landed almost on his foot and he kicked it.

It went flying to the jungle floor and landed with a audible THUMP. They all cringed at the noise and glares were heating up Clint's face. He scowled right back, and they all quickly pulled back into the leaves as far as they could.

After the shots had stopped, they heard It come into the jungle. For a while they didn't see anything…and then It came into full view.

The Thing was ugly, like something out of a horror movie or a child's nightmare. Clint was being even more stupid (_Nat was screaming in his head now_), by leaning out just a bit to try and see more of the Creature. Its focus was currently on the spider It had caught with Its four shots.

Barton caught a look at Its leathery grey skin and a hole in the side of Its head, before It suddenly shifted and looked up. The archer had just managed to move back before It saw him, but Clint could still feel Its dark gaze searching the leaves. It was more than likely wondering where the spider had come from and how it had landed so violently on the jungle floor.

Then It lifted Its gun and shot directly into the leaves. Bruce and Tony had to put their hands over their mouths to keep from screaming, while Clint bit his lip, drawing blood. The shot landed about an inch to the right of his shoulder, hitting the tree trunk and scaring the bejesus out of Barton.

No one moved. No one made a sound, as It stared into the trees, waiting for someone to drop down dead or in fear. After what felt like eternity (but was really only three minutes, It finally turned away and stomped back into Its camp. Once It was safely out of range, Clint released the breath he had been holding. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that everyone had shifted so they could all glare at him.

He raised his hands in a placating manner and took another deep breath. Yeah, he had screwed up. Clint actually hadn't screwed up like that since his first mission as a rookie. But…._spiders_ man.

* * *

Natasha was doing her best to keep her face neutral as It came pounding back to camp with no one in tow. It could mean one of two things: It hadn't caught any of her teammates _or_ It had killed one of them and didn't like bringing dead bodies back for trophies.

However, he gut told her that it was the first option, meaning she had to keep relief from her face. She didn't know how It would interpret her facial expressions and if It even could, but she wasn't taking that chance. It was always best to assume that your captor was smarter than you would initially give them credit for until proven otherwise.

It had settled back into Its original sitting position and continued watching the trees as if nothing had happened. Natasha noticed a slight tension in Its back and shoulders, letting her know that It was suspicious and on guard now. That was going to make it harder for her team to sneak in, even at night when It would be distracted with her.

She swore, if it was Clint that made the noise she was going to rip him a new one when they got out of there. And they _would _ get out of there. At that point, it became like a personal vendetta for Natasha. She was usually the predator, and after almost a week of being prey, she was done. This Thing had brought her and her team to some planet that shouldn't exist and used them in some sort of sick game.

Those thoughts fueled her as the suns started to go down in the sky. The jungle had been nothing but quiet since that first disturbance, and Natasha's tired mind could not help but picture Clint hog tied in a bush with the Hulk sitting on him. It was enough to make her lip twitch, but she quickly shook the image from her head.

It was getting darker, and she had to focus. She took deep breaths and as soon as the last sun dipped below the horizon and it was finally night time, It stood.

It was time for all of this to end.

* * *

**While I like Clint Barton, he's not my favorite character in the whole Avengers schema. However, I love the interplay of him and Loki. I picture him as a sassy archer that you want to hug and stab at the same time. :)**

**Please review! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 17

**Happy 4th of July everyone! Unfortunately, this chapter is pretty short, but I have no work next week and am gunning to finish this story and 'You Can Live' very soon. :)**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. **

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst. SO MANY FEELS IN THIS CHAPTER!**

**Never Forget**

As soon as the light in the sky started to darken, Loki began his…meditation. He had to prepare himself for what was to come. This would be the first battle he had ever entered without the use of his magic, even as a back-up. He had fought others before without using his 'tricks', but he had always known it was there, in the background, in case he was in desperate need. Now, there was none of that, and he had to rely on the _Avengers_ to watch his back.

Especially after that _second _spider fiasco, Loki was not thrilled. To stop himself from dwelling on every possible way it could go wrong, Loki closed his eye and focussed on slowing his breathing. That exercise was not new to him. He had been using it for centuries in regards to certain magic rituals or simply trying to prevent himself from strangling Thor. It had, obviously, been useful then, so Loki figured there was no harm in using it now.

The only problem was that he could feel Thor's eyes burning holes into the side of his head. He opened his eye a slit and turned his head to glare at the offender. Thor, however, was not deterred in the slightest and kept staring.

Loki took a slow, deep breath and simply tried to ignore the giant idiot. That didn't work when said idiot _tapped him on the shoulder!_

The Trickster almost stabbed Thor's hand, but the Crown Prince pulled them away in time. Then, Thor did something that shocked Loki to the core.

He formed a fist and pulled it left to right across his chest. _*Sorry*_

It was something Loki hadn't seen since they were young boys. When they would go on adventures together and play together and fight together…and use their own secret language together. They had developed it so they could be extra sneaky around the palace. Well, Loki had developed it, and Thor used it semi-correctly. But…Loki _never_ thought that Thor would actually remember it…_correctly!_

Thor repeated the motion, and Loki hesitatingly responded.

_*You…you remember?* _Thor's brows pinched together and his head pulled back as he looked slightly offended.

_*Of course. Was useful.*_ Loki could tell that that wasn't all that Thor wanted to say on the matter, but the Crown Prince had wisely held his tongue…or fingers. The Trickster narrowed his eye at the blond. He could not help but feel that the Thunderer had some sort of hidden agenda. It seemed stupid, but then again…it was Thor. Loki grew up with him; he knew Thor could be deceitful and cunning if he put a _lot_ of effort into it…and if Loki was of diminished capacity.

_*Well…what do you want?*_ Thor did not answer right away, perhaps cracking Loki's initial belief that Thor was trying to con him. The man actually seemed unsure. Finally…

_*Whatever has happened…you know I care for you, yes?* _It was not the first time Loki had heard that, but for some reason it struck more of a cord this time around. Maybe it was the situation, maybe it was the use of their secret language, maybe it was both. Whatever it was, Loki had to take a few deep breaths and bite his tongue to hold back the pesky wetness suddenly gathered in his eyes.

The suns were getting very low, and darkness was creeping in. Loki didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't think he could admit even to himself everything that he was feeling.

Loki was stalling as he looked over at the other tree holding the four other Avengers. They were looking over at them curiously, and Loki felt the wall of intimacy and privacy that he and Thor had chipping away. But why was he so…_afraid_? He didn't plan on leaving the planet alive, so why should it matter what he admits to? _Because you're secretly hoping you make it,_ the little voice in his head whispered. Then…the suns set. It was time.

Darkness reigned…Thor couldn't see him.

_*I understand…Brother.*_

* * *

It slowly walked around the camp picking up branches and wider logs. It carefully set them in a pile near the center of the clearing and knelt beside them. Its gun was slung across Its back, but was ready at a moments notice. Pulling out two rocks, It brushed them together until It got a spark.

The wood caught on fire instantly, and the darkness scattered. Natasha blinked quickly to adjust to the sudden brightness and was faced the back-lit alien once she could see again. It was standing, staring down at the flames. After a few minutes, It slid a jagged knife out of Its boots and held it above the flames. Natasha was reminded of more than one religious sacrifice she had witnessed through her work.

It lifted the blade to point towards the moons creeping above the trees. The entire time It made no noise; nothing resembling words came from Its mouth. It remained dead silent. Then It turned and pointed the blade at Natasha, staring her down.

As It began to slowly walk towards her, Natasha could only think, _"Anytime, Boys."_ It was almost close enough to press the blade to her throat when they heard a slight rustling sound.

"Hunter!" It froze, and Natasha could swear she saw just a hint of surprise in Its black, marble eyes. She didn't have any to show, though Loki's entrance was slightly unexpected.

It straightened completely, sheathed Its knife and turned to face the new threat. Nothing had ever screamed apex predator to Natasha than It did in that moment. Once It was facing him, Loki called It out again.

"Hunter, I challenge you! I demand you fight me face-to-face and not hide behind your traps and scare tactics." It simply stood there and did not respond. Natasha considered that perhaps It couldn't understand what Loki was saying. That, or It did not see Loki as any sort of significant threat. Seeing that his words had garnered no reaction, Loki tried once more.

"You are a coward with out dignity! How can you take trophies from creatures you had to kidnap and weaken to capture? You are unworthy!" Loki's voice bounced around the clearing, and Black Widow had to keep herself from rolling her eyes at the theatrics. It all seemed a bit over the top to her, but if it worked, it worked. Then again…

While Loki continued to monologue at the Thing, Natasha spotted faint movement in the trees around the camp. Her team was slowly circling the area and waiting for the time to strike.

Meanwhile, It continued to stare at Loki, before It cocked Its head. Natasha could see the Trickster falter ever so slightly, before It just…turned away.

It turned Its back on Loki and once again moved towards the assassin chained to a pole. Agent Romanoff could honestly say that she was legitimately stunned in that moment. She had never seen such complete disregard in that kind of situation. She could see that Loki was shocked too, and then the man's face hardened. Loki's grip on the spear in his hand tightened considerably.

The creature was nearly upon Natasha once more, and she could just hear the rustle of more movement in the jungle off to her right. If the boys came in too soon, the whole thing could go up in smoke.

There was a quiet noise, and suddenly, Loki threw the spear at Its back. Natasha's heart stuttered and restarted…when It simply reached behind Itself and caught the weapon mid flight. Loki's face showed as much shock as Natasha felt.

It turned and brought the spear up for inspection. It seemed to actually consider the weapon, before It took it in both hands and snapped it in half, throwing the pieces to the ground. Then, It slowly took the gun off of Its back, and tossed it off into the trees. It reached down and pulled Its knife back out and began to advance towards Loki.

Loki was finally going to get the fight he had been waiting for. He had successfully pissed It off.

* * *

Thor nearly leaped after his brother, when Loki suddenly vaulted from their tree and into the light. He had seen that Loki had signed something back to him, but in the darkness he hadn't been able to make it out. Then, his brother ran from him and into the path of a monster. Thor was seriously ready to throw Loki over his shoulder and just go home.

He caught more movement out of the corner of his eyes and turned to see his teammates heatedly gesturing to each other. Steve finally took charge and motioned that they should remain silent and slowly encircle the camp. The others hesitantly nodded and climbed out of the tree as quietly as they could.

Once on the ground, Tony set down his armor and shooed the others away. Clint and Rogers automatically headed in the direction closest to Natasha, so they could get to her as quickly as possible. Bruce looked uncertain as he started to slowly creep in the other direction. Tony gave his science buddy a reassuring smile and gestured to say he'd be with him in a minute. He was waiting for something.

"Hunter!" And there it was. Tony need some loud monologuing to cover the sound of his armor coming to life. It worked like a charm, or he thought so, since there were no bullets flying his way. Fully suited, Tony moved over to stand with Bruce. Loki had told them that it would be best for the Hulk not to make an appearance, which left Banner without much protection. Tony wasn't going to let his buddy get hurt.

Thor meanwhile stayed near the center, so he was more or less directly behind Loki. Should things get dangerous or Loki wasn't able to hold his own against the monster, Thor would be right there for him. Too many times he had let his brother down, but not this time. The Crown Prince was nervous for his brother, because Loki did not have access to his magic. He knew that Loki could fight without it. In fact, Loki was as skilled a fighter as himself, however a part of him thought Loki used it as a safety net.

Now that net was gone, and Thor would have to catch his brother should he fall. Thor hadn't realized he had been holding his breath, until it all whooshed out of him. Seeing It catch the spear without even looking was like a punch in the gut. Serious doubts started to take root in Thor's mind, and for the first time he wasn't sure that they would be able to defeat the creature.

From the sudden tensing in Loki's shoulders, Thor could tell that his brother was as shocked as he was. In fact, it appeared that the move struck Loki speechless, a near impossible feat.

Thor looked left and right, trying to catch even a glimpse of his comrades, but it was no use. The jungle swallowed them up, blocking them from his view. He turned back just in time to see It pull Its knife back out and advance on his brother. Loki was quick to unsheathe his own knife and bend his knees, balancing on the balls of his feet.

Motion on the other end of the clearing stole Thor's attention from the fight about to commence in front of him.

The pole Natasha was chained to was just on the outer edge of the fire-light's reach. Shadow and flame fought for dominance over her physique as she remained trapped. The shadow was to their advantage, however. Thor forced his eyes to clear up what he was seeing. He finally determined that it was Barton, sneaking out of the jungle, through the darkness and over to their captured teammate.

The red-haired assassin did not acknowledge the archer at all, though she had most certainly seen him. Instead she kept her eyes locked on Loki and the creature, as they began to circle each other in a sick sort of dance. Thor then found his attentions split. He wanted to see if Barton is able to free Lady Natasha, but he needed to keep an eye on his brother.

Then the fight started and he couldn't tear his eyes away.

It made the first move, lunging at Loki's side. It didn't attack with the knife, however. It instead slammed a fist into Loki's side, knife a good foot away from any skin. Loki was able to turn his body just in time to absorb the blow so it didn't shatter any ribs. He was only slighted winded from it instead.

Their feet never stopped moving, and their eyes never left their opponent. Two apex predators wanting to conquer. Thor had a fleeting thought that had a fight such as this occurred on the training grounds of Asgard, no one would have bet on Loki, yet they would all lose. Loki had a way of making everyone around him underestimate how strong he truly was. It worked to his advantage nearly every single time.

Hopefully this would be one of those times.

* * *

**So I've been learning some sign language from YouTube and ASL videos, and I know that what I described does not mean 'I'm Sorry'. I just didn't want to try and describe all of the accurate hand motions, plus I figured Loki and Thor didn't use that as the 'secret language' they created. **

**Please review! :)**


	19. Chapter 19

Running at Full Tilt: Chapter 18

**Guys! I've finished! Here is the longest and FINAL chapter of Running at Full Tilt! I'm so excited. Thank you all so much for sticking around 'til the end, and I hope this chapter satisfies.**

**Do not fear, I will return soon with a new Avengers (Loki-centric, duh) fic! I have a Teen Wolf story to write for my sister's ****birthday, and I have also been working on a White Collar story throughout this madness. So stay tuned, and I'll see you soon! :) Luv to all!**

**I have no beta. Any and all mistakes are my own!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Predator movie or characters, same for Avengers. That belongs to Marvel. **

**Warnings: Violence...probably lots of angst. **

**Unexpected Ends and Beginnings**

Clint was praying (even though that was Steve's job) that the darkness would keep him hidden enough so he could get to Natasha. He was about four yards away, and Loki had It distracted in a fight. Barton couldn't pay attention to it, but he did keep the fight in his peripheral vision. Gotta know if It suddenly decides to look over.

Steve had stayed back in the jungle. The fewer people sneaking, the less likely they are to be seen. Besides, Steve's shield reflected light like nobody's business, which is the last thing they needed. The archer wasn't quite sure on the exact location of the others, but he figured Thor would be near Loki and Tony and Bruce would be next to each other so probably across from Steve.

The archer breathed out a silent sigh of relief, when he reached Natasha. He knew that she knew he was there, but he laid a hand on her calf just in case. She didn't startle or acknowledge him at all, which was a good sign (for them). Then he tried to figure out how she was attached to the pole. That was when he saw her ankle.

His fingers itched for the bow string so he could land an arrow right in It's hideous eye…and if it glanced off of Loki on the way, he wasn't going to complain.

Suddenly, he felt a finger tap his head, and his attention was drawn to it. Natasha waited for him to look and then slowly pointed up. The other end of the chain had been tucked in to the length wrapped around her, no lock or anything. It was like the creature wanted Natasha to get away. Barton smirked and slowly began working the end of the chain out of its 'secure' position.

It didn't take long at all, but the hard part would be unwinding the rest of the chain without attracting the Thing's attention. His only option: slow, steady and silent.

He didn't block out all the noise around him, as he worked the chain free. Clint just didn't let it distract him, not even when Loki cried out in pain as a blow landed on his almost healed gunshot wound. Barton glanced over just to see Loki lash out with his knife and just manage to slice the back of Its hand.

Barton almost had Natasha completely free. Just another loop and the he could try and detach the vicious trap from her ankle. Natasha was clinging to the pole with her arms and feet, so she shouldn't just drop down when he released. That would attract too much attention.

But so would a Norse god landing three feet to the left of them. It had kicked Loki in the chest and sent him sailing across the camp, directly to where Clint was helping Nat. The Thing froze at the sight before him…before charging, letting out a head splitting screech.

Clint didn't hesitate to get the last of the chain from around Nat and she dropped down, charging the tasers on her wrists. Loki was struggling to get back on his feet, when suddenly Cap's shield comes flying out of the trees to knock straight into the side of Its skull.

It screeched again turning to try and see Its new opponent, only to be shot in the back by one of Stark's hand blasters.

"I am totally not against shooting something like that in the back!" Barton couldn't help but agree with Tony (though he would never admit it). Bruce came out behind Tony, but stayed Bruce, for now sticking to Loki's orders. Thor was quick to join the party, flinging Mjolnir at the creature.

The hammer made a bit of an impact on It. It screeched and fell back a few steps, turning to face the Crown Prince. It was surrounded.

Before Thor could land another blow, a spear came straight through Its back and out of Its chest. The creature froze and looked down at the metal head protruding from Its front. With one last gurgle, It fell to Its knees, then to Its side…and died.

"It was that easy!? Come on! We've fought things ten times harder to kill that that."

"Stark," came Steve's tired reply, "Shut up." Loki, who had finally gotten his revenge, who had finally killed the creature that had forced him into this sick game, didn't say a word. Technically, the deal was off, and they were enemies once more, but he did not turn on them. Instead, he silently dropped down in front of Natasha and gripped both sides of the trap around her ankle.

"You will have to be quick. It will snap shut as soon as I let go." At Natasha's nod, Loki pulled and finally the teeth receded from her ankle and she quickly stepped out of it, landing back against Clint's chest. Loki stood and just when Tony was about to ask when their Asgardian surveillance system was going to kick in, the ground began to tremble.

"Loki! What's happening?" Loki growled at the Captain.

"It seems the creature attached the planet to Itself. Should It ever be killed, the planet would die with it, effectively killing the one that killed It. This ensures that It still wins." Another violent quake nearly knocked them all off of their feet. Loki scowled.

"Thor! Would you call Heimdall already!?" The Crown Prince did just that, and moments later the distinctive light grew in the sky, fifty yards off.

"Are you kidding me?" The ground began to crack open beneath them, and they finally all moved. Natasha and Clint were in the lead with Thor and Steve right behind them. Tony grabbed Bruce's arm and blasted off as hard as he could, leaving Loki lagging at the back with his now broken ankle. Unfortunately, with the killing of the creature, all of the magical barriers and suppressors were suddenly lifted. That meant all of the magic blocked from Loki for months was flooding back into him all at once.

It was like fire was injected into his bloodstream.

It disoriented him enough, that he missed something very important. With the ground opening up, the monsters under the planet's surface were free. The others were nearly at the extraction point, when something collided with Loki's side.

The Trickster cried out as thousands of pointy teeth ripped a chunk of flesh from his torso. He barely registered his name being called from a few yards away. Loki felt a bit surprised at the flash of fear and disappointment. He believed he would die at the hands of It, and when he did not, a terrible hope suddenly reared its ugly head, a hope that he would at least be able to see Asgard's golden walls one more time before he was inevitably locked away. Now, as Loki locked his eye with one of the monster's bright white ones, he realized he was right before. He was not going to leave this planet ali-

An arrow was suddenly protruding from the creature's skull, and it collapsed on top of him. Loki couldn't do anything for a moment, beyond stare at the dead creature, before he was violently thrown into action by another quake.

He managed to push the monster off of himself, but Loki couldn't quite get his feet under himself. He could see the Bifrost about to open up ahead, and he knew he wouldn't reach it in time. The last thing he saw before, everything overwhelmed him into darkness, was a golden figure running towards him.

* * *

Thor ran to his brother. He couldn't leave Loki behind. He promised so many times that he would return to Asgard with Loki at his side, and he refused to break that promise. Thor wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left his brother bleeding on the ground.

The others weren't surprised in the least. They waited for Thor just by the edge of the Bifrost circle, looking on as their teammate dodged growing cracks in the ground.

The golden prince finally reached Loki and pushed past his initial horror at the amount of blood pooling around him. Without hesitation, Thor ripped the monster off of his brother and scooped Loki up into his arms. Loki could hurt him later for carrying him again, and Thor would be thrilled. It would at least mean that Loki was conscious and aware, unlike then, limp and bleeding out.

Thor was almost knocked to his knees a few times on the way back, but he pushed through. Though he could see his teammates calling for him to hurry, the only thing he could hear was the pounding of his heart and the roar of a dying planet. The Crown Prince saw nothing but his team in front of him, _waiting_ for him before leaving despite the destruction around them.

It seemed that Heimdall was waiting too, for as soon as Thor reached them, and they stepped into the circle, they were gone.

* * *

To say the second intergalactic landing was easier than the first would be a blatant lie in Tony's opinion. He was actually knocked to his knees, despite wearing the suit. The first thing that came off, once again, was the helmet, allowing him to gulp in more air. With a slam of his hand against his shoulder, Tony was disengaged from Iron Man and collapsed on all fours.

"Thor, Buddy, you guys really need to work on your transportation system." Tony dragged his head up, caught his teammates in similar positions as himself, and then looked around to find Thor.

Thor with a dying Loki in his lap.

"Whoa, Man. Um, Medic?" There was a collective stumbling to their feet, trying to surround their teammates. Yes, that was plural. Loki would fight it and deny it up and down, left and right, but he fit into their little ragtag group. It was a group of second chances so why not one for the Trickster too?

"Loki! Loki, please!" Thor clutched at his little brother. Loki would not open his eyes; his skin was burning and Thor could barely feel the rise and fall of his chest. His hands tried to staunch the bleeding, and even when his own were joined by those of his friends, it still seeped through.

"Thor, you and your friends need to let us take Loki to the Healing Chamber." The Avengers whirled around to see the King and Queen of Asgard looming over them with about fifteen guards and a large man with a giant sword. It looked like the calvary had finally arrived, yet Thor did not cheer for victory. Instead, he held Loki tighter to him.

"I will not allow you to simply throw him away!" Odin and Frigga looked taken aback, but the others understood.

"Thor, Buddy, right now it's either he's alive and maybe in jail or he's dead on a pretty platform. Which would you rather have? I can promise you, that despite everything Loki's said and what's he's more than likely going to say _when_ he wakes up, he'd prefer the former." The Crown Prince hesitated for only a moment longer, before standing.

"I'll take him." Frigga huffed and put a pressing hand between Thor's shoulder blades.

"How he gets there doesn't matter, just so long as he does- quickly." Odin was left in the dust by his wife and child and sighed deeply. After staring at the floor in some sort of royal introspection, the Allfather finally addressed the Avengers.

"The guards will show you to your rooms, and when Loki is well enough, they will come to escort you to the Healing Chambers." Steve stepped forward, the appointed spokesperson on the group.

"Sir, well, Your Majesty, we would like to ask for mercy in Loki's case. He saved our lives multiple times on that planet and has proven himself a changed man in…certain regards." Odin inclined his head in acknowledgement of the Captain's words, politely allowing him to finish.

"I appreciate your kind words for my son." A few surprised brows lifted at the labeling of Loki as family still. "Not many would do half of what you have just done through your words alone. You need not worry yourselves, however. In the eyes of Asgardian law, he has been pardoned, and his position in the royal family…_officially_ reinstated." Tony couldn't help but open his big mouth. It's why Pepper always stood next to him when he actually went to super important meetings or events…to pinch him if he was about to say anything.

"Wait a minute. Just like that? Not that I'm not all for it, but…" He trailed off, and the others hadn't stopped him, meaning they were curious too. The corner of Odin's mouth twitched, and the Avengers could not help but feel that they were seeing something akin to an endangered species.

"Loki's fall from the Bifrost and subsequent floating through endless space was seen as punishment enough for his first crimes against Jotunheim, and while he was missing and Thor was on Midgard, Thanos came here." Everyone stiffened at the name, remembering Thor and Loki's fear. "He was easily defeated." The tension turned to confusion. Clint's mind jumped to Loki over-exaggerating and giving himself the image of victim. "Do not misunderstand me. Thanos was at his full power when Loki fell into his hands, however he wanted the Tesseract because he was dying. Over the next year, his powers and physical body were greatly deteriorated. He arrived here in a fit of desperation, and when he threw what he had done to Loki in our faces…the Allmother was quick to dispatch him."

Natasha smirked, and after a few moments to allow them to digest the new information, Odin continued.

"Knowledge of Loki's coercion into his actions against Midgard lessened his original sentence considerably, and Loki's imprisonment and kidnapping are considered penance for his crimes against Midgard. Unless you object." Clint had half a mind to open his mouth to do so, but one scathing look from Natasha was enough to stay him. At their silence, Odin nodded. "Very well. The guards will show you to your rooms now. You will be provided with plenty of food and drink and fresh garments." With that, the Allfather turned and walked away.

Once he was out of range, Tony leaned over to whisper in Bruce's ear.

"How much you wanna bet the Allmother almost 'dispatched' the Allfather after she did Thanos in?" Dr. Banner hid his snort behind a cough, and they all started the long, golden trek to their chambers.

The guards didn't seem surprised in the slightest by their rubbernecking as they walked through the halls of the palace. If anything, they seemed a bit amused by it, but they didn't say a word. Finally, the run down group stopped at the thirtieth identical pair of large double doors. Tony was wondering how any of them were supposed to be able to tell their rooms from every other one, when the doors suddenly changed from gold to elegant carved mahogany with gold inlay.

The next surprise came when the guards left with a slight bow, and the Avengers entered the extravagant suite.

"Point Break! I figured you would be hovering over Rock of Ages right about now." Thor looked like a kicked puppy from where he sat on a oversized cushion.

"I am no longer permitted in the Healing Chambers, until Loki wakes." Dr. Banner lifted a brow as he slumped onto his own cushion, which Tony proceeded to fall face first onto next to him.

"What did you do to get banished?" Thor may or may not have blushed as he looked away.

"I…perhaps growled at the Head Healer." Tony barked a muffled laugh into the cushion and gave Thor a thumbs up. Everyone else settled into a seat and sighed as they sunk in. A veritable feast was laid out on a table to their left, but despite how good it looked, no one wanted to move.

"They are able to help him, yes," Dr. Banner inquired. He had to admit that he was concerned about Loki, and also had to keep in mind that there was the potential…that Loki might not make it. He was not encouraged by Thor's lack of an immediate response. It also caused the others to sit up straighter and face the Thunderer.

"Thor?" Natasha's voice was soft as she prodded her teammate. While she did not fully trust Loki (yet), she understood him, and part of her already saw him as a teammate.

"They will be able to heal the wound to his side easily. It is Loki's magic that is causing problems. When the Hunter was killed the barriers blocking Loki from his magic were ripped away. Loki suddenly had full access to his magic, which had been cut from him for months." Thor wiped a hand down his face and let out a deep breath. "You have to understand. Loki's magic is a part of him. He would have accidental magic as a child and only got it completely under control a few decades ago. When Loki doesn't use his magic, it builds up. When he uses it, it depletes. When he rests, it returns. I see it as one of the 'chargers' you showed me on Midgard, Man of Iron. It would be as if a phone was left to charge, but instead of stopping at full capacity, the power began to build."

Tony nodded at Thor's crude analogy. He had thought Thor didn't understand when Tony told him about their technology. Maybe the big guy just saw it differently.

"So when the phone is pulled from the charger, the extra power doesn't just dissipate, it adds itself to the regular electrical supply until the phone overheats." The Avengers all shared a look, when Thor nodded.

"Yes. Loki's body cannot handle all of his magic and the extra trying to reestablish itself in him. It is, in essence…burning him from the inside out." That was not a pleasant thought, and all of the Avengers were caught in the dark shadow suddenly cast over the room. To try and dispel the uncomfortable concern that had settled over him, Clint stood and piled a plate high with food.

Steve sent Barton a reproachful look for his obnoxious eating sounds, and Barton sent an indignant look back.

"What? We haven't eaten anything besides alien berries in almost a week. I would like some sort of recognizable alien _meat_, thank you. Besides," he muttered. "Loki would probably call us all idiots for ignoring decent food in favor of worrying about him." That got people to move, and despite the tension still in the air, their appetites weren't very affected.

However, as minutes stretched into hours without word of Loki's condition, they were soon taking turns pacing the room. Tony and Thor had worn tracks into opposite ends of the room, before the double doors finally opened. It was a good thing too, because they were all ready to charge down the hall to the Healing Chambers, escort or no. Somewhat surprisingly, Lady Frigga was the figure in the doorway, and stopped them all from charging with a raised hand.

"Loki is healed, and his magic has finally calmed. It was almost too much for him, but your brother is a fighter, even in his weakened state. If you all promise to remain calm and let him rest," the look Frigga gave them definitely held a threat, "You may see him." They were all quick to assure the Allmother that they would do just that, and soon they found themselves outside the Healing Chambers.

Before Thor could barge in, however, Frigga held up a hand. She silenced Thor's protest with a look and pointed to the bed Loki was resting in.

They all jockeyed for position and saw what the Allmother was holding them for. Odin was standing by Loki's bedside, staring down with deep regret etched into his features. He stayed their for a few more moments, before sighing and running a hand over Loki's hair. Finally, he turned and strode out a side door away from the throng of heroes.

Thor did not wait for confirmation from his mother and charged into the room to see his brother. His friends followed him, the rear being brought up by an slightly amused and unruffled Queen of Asgard.

Loki looked…good. He had been cleaned up and any scars he had had on the planet were completely gone. His makeshift eye patch was gone, revealing clean, undamaged skin. Bruce would bet his doctorate that Loki's eye had been restored as well. Lady Frigga came up to take vigil on the side of the bed Thor had not claimed.

"When his magic was flaring, it was trying to find a way to reconnect with Loki. The healers were finally able to direct it into something productive, such as healing Loki. It took to it with apparent gusto and did more than any of us would have been able to do. I dare say, Loki is in better condition now than when he was healed and eating full meals before this whole ordeal." The Allmother's voice was a gentle whisper, and they could hear the regret as she spoke her final words.

No one said anything more, and soon they were all seated in a circle around Loki. It wasn't long before the vigil became a group nap, all of them finally succumbing to their exhaustion.

* * *

Thor was startled awake, by the hand in his own twitching. His bright blue eyes widened as they saw Loki begin to stir. The Trickster did not open his eyes, and appeared to be taking stock of his body, with the way each body part was carefully moved one by one. Finally, Loki ended with a sigh and ever so slightly squeezed the hand around his.

"If you cried on me, I will not hesitate to blast you through a wall." Loki finally started to blink his eyes open and raised a brow at his brother.

"How about throwing him out a window?" Loki's head shot up as he took in all of the Avengers (and his mother) sitting around him. His mouth opened in surprise as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing…seeing. The Trickster's hand shot up to his previously damaged eye, and he was once again at a loss for words.

"Your magic worked overtime and kind of healed _everything_." Loki could not contain his huff of amazement, but startled when his hand was pulled back by his mother. She smiled brightly at him, and he instinctively reached up to wipe her tears away.

"Why are you crying, Moth- Allmother?" Frigga pursed her lips and playfully whacked Loki's arm. At his cry of indignation and Thor's startled laughter, the Queen of Asgard smiled once more.

"Both of my sons are finally home and well. How could I not be crying tears of joy?" Loki's brows pulled together.

"You mean…I am still- I am not to be returned to my cell once Thor lets go of my hand?" The last bit was pointed, but Thor kept a wide smile on his face and firm hold on his brother's hand. Frigga shook her head.

"You have been pardoned. Thanos was destroyed and you have been officially reinstated as a Prince of Asgard, but Loki," Frigga laid a hand on her youngest's cheek and looked him deep in the eye. "Know that I never stopped loving you as my son." Loki cleared his throat and nodded around the lump in it.

"How…how was Thanos destroyed?" Thor's grin only grew wider (if that was possible).

"Your mom _dispatched _him." Loki raised an impressed eyebrow at his mother and she smirked.

"He was a despicable monster, weakened through disease and corruption. When he began taunting us with…what he did to you, well…I simply wanted him to hold his tongue." Loki couldn't contain a bark of laugher, which soon turned into a bit of a hysterical fit. When he finally calmed, he shook his head in amazement.

"Well, I can honestly say I don't have any idea as to what I should do now. It has been a long time since I've been to the library." Thor quickly shook his head.

"Oh no, Brother. You are not hiding amongst books now. You shall come to Midgard with me!" Loki's look at Thor said he entirely disagreed.

"And what? Become an Avenger?" Loki's mouth fell open as Thor vigorously nodded.

"Yes." Loki sputtered and looked at Earth's Mightiest Heroes, only to find most of them nodding as well.

"Wh- What?! You can't be serious! There is no way that I will _ever_-"

"It's not up for discussion, Lokster. We've imprinted on each other. Can't leave you behind now. Besides, I want to show you my lab! Can you imagine what we could build combining your magic and my stunningly good looks?" Loki turned to the others, looking for some sort of rationality amongst the madness. Captain America shrugged.

"I think you'd be a good addition to the Team. We just have to convince Fury, when we get back." Tony scoffed.

"Please, all it will take it five minutes of your 'Everyone Deserves a Second Chance' lecture, and he'll cave. Nicky's a sucker for your patriotism and good will. I think he's secretly a fangirl…"

And that was how Loki got roped into being an Avenger. Loki would say bullied, but Tony would always reply 'Tomato, tomahto'.

P.S. Nick caved in three minutes rather than five.

**The End**

* * *

**I loved picturing Frigga giving a war cry before slicing Thanos's head clean off for hurting her baby. Got me through this last chapter. :)**

**Also, I also just finished my You Can Live Harry Potter fan fiction, so check that out when you get the chance.**

**And if you remember the poll I did, oh so long ago, the next Avengers plot line on the list is fem!Loki. :) Bye for now!**

**Please review! :)**


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